With Everything That I Am
by PrettyGirl132
Summary: The Doctor has left Rose and the meta-crisis to live out their lives in the parallel world together. Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned. Cracks start to appear in Pete's World, and what is that pain in Rose's head? The Doctor/Rose Tyler reunion fic.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello Doc/Rose shippers! I'm glad you are all still alive and kicking, because here's another story for you guys to read. This is my first fanfiction, and first attempt at writing anything for real, so please have mercy! Also, please review, reviews are very much appreciated and will encourage me to keep writing! With all that aside, here is the prologue. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own or benefit off of Doctor Who (except for maybe my soul). I do not own any of the characters or the blessed TARDIS.**

 **Prologue**

It all started out so well.

Rose stared at the Doctor's worn-down face gazing at her only to turn her head and see a matching face. Was the Doctor really leaving her here…again? The wind was unforgiving and whipped her hair over her face and into her eyes as she tried to make the hardest decision of her life. Just 20 minutes ago it was like old times again- her, the Doctor, saving the world and defeating the Daleks. She tasted victory. Oh, how she wished that moment lasted forever.

"But, it's still not right. The Doctor's still…you," She tried to reason with her battling emotions and the Doctor.

"And I'm him," The Doctor insisted.

"Alright, both of you answer me this. When I last stood on this beach on the worst day of my life, what was the last thing you said to me?" This was more than a test of memory, she knew, she just needed one last chance for the Doctor's true feelings to be spoken aloud. She didn't know what she would do if he didn't. "Go on, say it."

"I said 'Rose Tyler'," the Doctor replied.

"Yeah, and how was that sentence going to end?"

The Doctor stared torturously into her eyes for a few more seconds when he spoke, "It doesn't need saying."

'Alright,' Rose thought, 'that was it then.' She tried to hide her disappointment and turned to the other Doctor, "And you, Doctor?" More seconds ticked away as she stared into his matching eyes. She found herself just as lost in them as the original Doctor's and hardly noticed when he started to lean into her as she continued, "What was the end of that sentence?"

The Doctor was at her ear now and she heard and felt what she had been desperate to hear for so, so long. His breath ghosted her ear, leaving it tingling as he whispered,

"I love you with everything that I am."

And that was it. Just her and the Doctor. Forever.

Or so it seemed.

 **A/N: So there you have it, the prologue! I have written ahead a couple chapters, but at this point am not sure how often I will be updating. I am a poor, studying college student and need to work and do homework so it may be weekly, but we will see.**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, I was going to wait a week to post the first chapter, but I realized that the prologue is painfully short, so this will give you guys something to chew on for a while. Don't forget to review!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Period.**

 **Chapter I**

Rose woke up slowly and unwillingly to an alarm blaring in her ear. 'Oh, clam up!' she thought as she reached her hand out blindly to shut the bloody thing up and maybe get a bit more sleep. Unsuccessful in her flinging her arm about she finally sat up and slammed her hand against it, unceremoniously stopping the noise. With a sigh, she flopped back down on the bed and glanced at the time, 5:00 am. With a groan she rolled over, knocking into her still-slumbering husband. How he was still asleep with her making all that noise, she'd never know. Her mouth twitched up at the memory of hardly ever seeing the Doctor asleep, as he rarely did, and even more rarely around her. They had shared a bed before on the TARDIS, but it was nothing like what they were doing now, Rose thought with a blush. Now, the Doctor sleeps like a log and Rose almost wished she could wake up with those chocolate brown eyes gazing at her adoringly like they used to. Now she was always the first one awake. Being the heiress to not only Vitex, but Torchwood as well had made Rose's life a mess of schedules, classes, meetings, and rarely seeing her husband during the day. Right now, she was working on her degree at university, which fortunately gave her an excuse to see the Doctor for "tutoring". Taking one last glance at the snoozing figure beside her, Rose mustered up the energy to get up and take a shower.

Wearily, Rose stood up and stretched, feeling something pop in her shoulder, and walked into the bathroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her teeth. It had been 3 years since "Bad Wolf Bay part two", as Rose liked to call it, and she wasn't looking terrible. Her hair had grown out a bit, and Rose had never quit bleaching it. She considered it a few times, but something always kept her from going brown. Maybe she liked being called "pink and yellow" by the Doctor and "pink and brown" didn't have the same ring to it. She had slimmed down a bit, and gained muscle tone as a result of her vigorous Torchwood training, but other than that she hadn't changed much. Or really, at all, if she thought about it. 'Eh, I guess the years are being kind to me for once', Rose shrugged as she stepped into the shower. Not two minutes into lathering up, she heard the door open and close and she looked at the silhouette of the Doctor undressing on the other side of the curtain.

"Well, look who it is, the Oncoming Storm," Rose teased. No sooner had she said that the curtain slid back to reveal her husband in all his glory.

"Are we really going to reminisce about Madame de Pompadour as I am trying to seduce you in the shower?" the Doctor complained as he grabbed her waist.

"Oh, this is 'seducing', is it? I expected a bit more romancing," Rose giggled as the Doctor nipped her neck, moving closer to her lips with every word. "Perhaps a nice dinner," the Doctor took her lips in his, "some stargazing," another passionate kiss, "dancing!" Rose gasped as the Doctor directed his attentions to other parts of her body.

"Are you seduced, yet, Mrs. Tyler?" the Doctor purred in her ear. He slid his hands down her back and to her bum, caressed the skin there, then traveled to her thighs to lift her up. She wrapped her legs around him and squeezed their bodies together, making them both gasp.

"I believe you are getting there, Mr. Tyler," Rose gasped out. This would be one of her longer showers, she surmised.

Forty-five minutes later, the two finally exited the bathroom after taking their time getting clean. Rose chanced a glance at the clock and let out a groan.

"I'm gonna be late, Doctor!" She exclaimed as she rushed around the room, getting dressed as she went.

"I didn't exactly hear you complaining in there," the Doctor quipped, shooting a thumb to the room they just exited. Rose entertained a few fantasies in her head about wiping that smug grin off his face, then focused on her earring that she was attempting to put on while keeping a hold of her mascara wand.

"But you were the one who came sauntering in, _uninvited_ , if I might add, into my shower with one thing on your mind and I don't think it was my bleedin' schedule!" Rose retorted with a stiletto in her hand, brandishing it like a weapon. "I'm not even gonna have time for breakf-," Rose started but trailed off as the Doctor held up a plate of freshly buttered toast and a banana on a plate he had concealed behind his back. With a sweet smile, he slid the plate into the hand not holding a stiletto and gave his wife a peck on the cheek before pulling back and saying, "Have a good day, love."

Stunned into staring at her husband for a second, Rose wondered what on earth she was going to do with this man. Well, for starters, she was going to eat his toast. Can't let perfectly good toast go to waste, now can we?

Rose took a huge bite of the toast and put her heels on, grabbed her bag, and made sure her ring was shining proudly from her ring finger. Swallowing the toast, she walked up to the Doctor and stroked a sideburn before murmuring, "You, too." The Doctor beamed down at her and kissed the hand that was still holding his face and leaned down seductively to whisper in her ear, "If I'm correct, and I usually am, well…by usually I mean almost always, and by almost always… well, you get the idea, I calculate that you have 6.48 minutes to get to work on time," Rose snapped herself back to reality to stubbornly realize that, yes, the Doctor was right and she better leave NOW if she wanted to stay on Pete's good side, and proceeded to run out the door, "and don't forget to turn in your progress report you finished last night!" the Doctor finished with a shout as Rose was probably out the door and driving away by now. Looking over to his wife's side of the bed the Doctor sighed as he noticed the thick file folder that was sure to contain her progress report resting on her night stand. 'I guess I'm bringing that in later,' the Doctor thought to himself, 'I wonder if I should just leave it on her desk…no, that's too boring and obvious, I suppose I could carry it in and give her a bit of a show of being the responsible and caring husband that I am… or even better…' the Doctor continued to run through different methods of bestowing Rose's beloved progress report upon her as he made the bed and tidied up a bit around the room. He didn't have to go into work for another hour so he was free to do what he pleased around the house until then. The Doctor had known that adjusting to human life would be challenging, heck, it seemed like yesterday he was sharing his worst fears with Rose on Krop Tor about having carpets and a mortgage, and look where he was now! But looking back on the past three years (2 ½ being married life with Rose), it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be. Of course, that had nothing to do with living an average, human life, and everything to do with living it with Rose. Every day was a gift and he wasn't one to kick a gift horse in the mouth, he mused with a lazy grin. Sure, he missed the traveling and living an unpredictable day, but more often his worries were focused on whether Rose was happy without the traveling. He was a mad man with a box, without the box, so what did that leave for Rose? Trying not to lose himself in his thoughts, he put on his coat and walked downstairs where his lab was. If he wasn't at Torchwood tinkering with alien tech (whether he was authorized or not), he was in his basement figuring out ways to get the small piece of TARDIS coral Donna had given him to grow faster. Because no matter how much he enjoyed this new adventure that was given to him, he couldn't help the feeling that Rose deserved more than just what he had to offer. Even in the bedroom he was turning out to be a failure, he thought. It had been 2 years since he and Rose had started trying for children and still no luck, and for some reason the Doctor was convinced that he was to blame. 'Some meta-crisis reason I'm almost positive', he told himself, 'Rose is more than able-bodied to bear children'. And oh, how he wanted them. Miniature Roses and himselves running around was in image he desperately wanted to make a reality. 'There's still time', he tried reasoning with himself, 'and in the meantime, I can get this TARDIS grown so she'll be ready for my future family'.

The Doctor made his way down the stairs and flipped the light switch at the bottom, revealing a massive room full of computers, lab experiments, medical equipment, and everything else imaginable. Ignoring most of what this room had to offer, however, the Doctor went straight to the table labeled "Baby TARDIS" and examined its growth. It didn't look much bigger than when Donna gave it to him 3 years ago, but this was hardly a surprise to the Doctor. TARDIS' took decades to mature and that was on Gallifrey, where they had the exact nutrient-rich red soil they needed to grow, not basic, plain, boring Earth dirt. 'I'm being rude again, aren't I?' the Doctor thought to himself. Pulling the sonic he made during his first week in "Pete's World" out of his bigger-on-the-inside pocket, the Doctor scanned the little plant that would one day become a TARDIS. "Growth increase by 1.009% in the last week, not bad, little lady," the Doctor conversed with the coral. "But even with the gene splicing I've done, I don't think you'll be ready in time, sweetheart… Well, there is something I can try," the Doctor said aloud as he mixed together another formula for the baby TARDIS. Donna might have been as smart as him, but even the Doctor made mistakes and this was probably one of them. The Doctor tried everything he could think of to increase the growth of this coral, but the fact remained that a TARDIS can only grow on Gallifrey, and Earth soil was like a cheap knock-off that barely resembled the original. It took the Doctor weeks just to figure out how to get her to grow at all.

"So, at this rate, you will be matured enough to fly in an easy…107 years," the Doctor sighed and plopped in a chair. He ran a hand across his face and studied the coral. 'Maybe I can try to make a telepathic link now that she's grow-' the Doctor started to think but stopped abruptly as he realized that telepathy was out of the question now that he was human. If he at least could have kept that, the TARDIS might be encouraged to grow a bit quicker, but there was nothing he could do now. The Doctor missed being a telepath, but did NOT miss the emptiness he always felt in his head after the War. Now it was empty, but like there was never anything there and there isn't enough room to fit anything else in. 'So this is what it's like to be an inferior being,' the Doctor mused to himself for at least the 10,000th time since becoming human. What he regretted most of all regarding telepathy was not being able to bond with Rose. His marital life was truly bliss (most of the time), but with that added bond, the Doctor could think of nothing he desired more. 'Just another thing I can't give her, then,' he told himself. Checking the clock because, "no he did not have his time sense anymore and would really appreciate it if you didn't rub it in", he thought it best to start making his way to work. Torchwood couldn't have offered him a job fast enough, the Doctor thought. 'Well, of course they couldn't have, who in their right mind would not want me on their team?' he thought with a shake of his head. As he stated to turn off machines and lights, the Doctor stole a glance at one project he was working on. There wasn't a label, as the Doctor didn't want Rose to know what he was doing; the last thing the Doctor needed was to put a rift in between them. 'What Rose doesn't know, won't hurt her,' he thought half-heartedly. 'Unless I'm right…then we may have to worry.'

Rose had barely made it to work on time and only slowed slightly to scan her key card into the machine at the door. Now she just needed to get to her office before-

"Cutting it a bit close, now, eh, Rose?" Pete taunted lightly as he spotted her jogging down the hall. With a sigh that was mixed with her panted breath, Rose spared him little expense as she reached her office door, knowing that she was in for a long conversation if Pete was in this hallway. The only reason Pete would come here was to give her some sort of lecture, so Rose turned on the light and pulled a chair slightly away from her desk in a gesture that said, "Well, since you're here, why don't you sit down?" And sit down he did.

"For what do I owe this pleasure?" Rose smiled sweetly at her boss/father. She didn't think she'd ever call him "Dad", especially since she met her real father, but Rose respected the man before her, and if he made her mum happy, then she did owe him one. Juggling two enormous companies wasn't easy either, Rose conceded, and Pete keeping up appearances was of the utmost importance to Pete to keep Torchwood and his family safe. Rose wasn't excited for the day when she would take on these roles, and it showed. She assumed this was why Pete had dropped by, and continued, "Did I miss a meeting, again? I know I don't look it all the time, but I really am trying, here, Pete. See, I finished my progress report…last night…" Rose trailed off as she searched her bag for her report. "It should be here…maybe I left it…no, it has to be here…" Rose struggled to say as she flipped her bag over, spilling all of its contents onto her desk and the floor. A paper drifted in the air and landed in Pete's lap, causing his eyes to drift there and back up to his frazzled daughter. He stood up and placed the paper on top of the messy pile on Rose's desk and halted her ramblings to say,

"I'm not here to lecture you, Rose, although there are a couple of meetings you missed," Pete started and watched Rose grimace slightly, "I'm actually here to talk about Room Zero."

"Room Zero? What about Room Zero?" Rose asked a bit frantically. Room Zero was the name they gave where the Void was open and closed during the Cyberman and Dalek invasion. The room where she was separated from the Doctor for seemingly good. The room where Rose thought she'd never be happy again. And it was also the room where she did all her dimension hopping. There could be any number of reasons why Pete was here to talk about Room Zero, but Rose hadn't stepped foot in that room since her last jump to her universe 3 years ago. Since the Doctor sealed all the cracks, there hasn't been any use for Room Zero, it was only full of memories now.

"Well, I wanted to ask you about what you wanted to do with it." Do with it? 'What does he mean by that?' Rose thought. "Now that the dimension cannon doesn't work anymore, Room Zero doesn't serve any purpose for us. It's just empty space. But I know what that room means to you, so I wanted to give you jurisdiction over its purpose and/or removal. You can tell me what you decide by the end of the month," Pete finished as he stood up and buttoned the middle button on his suit jacket. Rose was dumbfounded and didn't say or do anything as Pete let himself out of her office and closed the door behind him. After a few seconds of staring at nothing, Rose let out a breath and plopped down in her chair, only to shift uncomfortably to remove a manila envelope that had landed there after her desperate search for her progress report. She must have left it at home, then. Luckily Pete hadn't seemed too upset about that fact, so Rose decided to focus on what he _was_ talking about. This wasn't an easy decision for her, she knew, as there were a lot of memories in that room, but what if something happened and a rift appeared or something? That room may still be important and she didn't want to turn it into storage or something. But what could she do with it now? Room Zero was just an empty room now, and a wall. Well, really four walls, but only one wall that really mattered. 'If something comes through that wall, there should be a way for us to know about it', Rose thought. But then she got an idea. Oh, she really was brilliant, wasn't she? But the only way for her to know if her idea would work is for her to visit the room she had been avoiding for 3 years.

As Rose walked to the elevator at the end of the hall, she shook her head to try and relieve some of the pressure. Ever since she was stranded with the other Doctor on this world, she had this constant pain in her head, like something is reaching out and not grasping anything. When she first felt it, she just called it another headache, but when it never went away, Rose started to get concerned. After 3 months, she finally told the Doctor about it, and he ran a few tests, but declared her healthy and couldn't find any issues. Rose suspected something wasn't quite right, but didn't push the Doctor about it, and decided to trust him on this one. The one thing that truly bothered her about his pain, though, was the deep sadness she felt when she focused on it. Like she was missing a part of herself and could never get it back. 'Boy, remind you of anyone?' thought Rose sarcastically. As she got out of the elevator alone and started nearing Room Zero, the ache in her head seemed to intensify, as if she was playing a game of 'tug-of-war' and her opponent yanked on the rope, except it wasn't a rope, and her mind was grabbing it, not her hands. The pull got so strong that Rose had tears in her eyes when she finally reached the door. 'God, what's happening to me?' she groaned to herself. Stubbornly, Rose grabbed the door knob and opened the door, revealing the open, abandoned space that was Room Zero. Unrelenting, the pull to Rose's mind seemed to drag her into the room. 'I don't think I can fight it, but where is it taking me?' Rose thought. Surprisingly, she wasn't scared of the pressure in her mind and somehow had a feeling she should trust it and not fight it. But there was nowhere else to go except-. The wall. The pulling sensation was pulling Rose to the wall where she got separated from the Doctor the first time. Rose stumbled over her feet to the wall and slammed her body and head against it, desperately hoping this would ease the pain. Of course it didn't. The tears were flowing full force by now, but not from the pain. With her forehead pressed against the bare wall, Rose heard a sound she thought she would never hear again, and it took her breath away. It was the TARDIS. Inside her head, Rose could hear the TARDIS! But, how? Why? Rose didn't want to move from that spot, so she didn't, not until she heard a voice from a distance.

"Rose! Rose, where are you?" The distinct voice of the Doctor called out. He was running towards Room Zero, so Rose didn't reply, knowing he would stumble across her soon enough. All she could do was stay where she was, where she was forced to remain.

"Rose! Rose, darling, please…" the Doctor trailed off as he found her in the same position she started in 2 hours ago. Her motionless form, save her back moving up and down with each breath she took, against the white wall was an image he never wanted to see. He recovered from the shock of seeing her like this and ran up to her saying, "Rose, where have you been? No one's seen you in hours, and I was so worried, you know how massive this bloody building is and, you could've been anywhere, and who knows if you could've been kidnapped or something! I know you can handle yourself, so I didn't start getting worried until I heard no one's seen you in hours! Hours, Rose! What were you doing for so long, just standing-' the Doctor cut off as he looked at her face. Dried tears coated her cheeks and she hadn't even opened her eyes for his frantic ramblings. She could've been asleep if it wasn't for the grimace plastered on her features, and the fact that she was standing upright with both hands and forehead placed on the wall before her. The Doctor reached out his hand and touched her cheek with the back of his finger, hoping to get a response from her. "Rose, please," he whispered, "What's wrong, love?" He abandoned the finger approach and started to cup her cheek and move her head away from the wall, but when he moved her away slightly, Rose let out a heartbreaking moan and tried to push her head farther into the wall. The Doctor didn't know what to do. Obviously, he wasn't getting her away from that wall, but maybe if he could get her to talk, he could figure out the source of the problem and go from there.

"Rose, talk to me, please," the Doctor begged, "Tell me what's wrong. We can figure this out together."

Rose swallowed and opened her mouth to speak, which seemed to take years in the Doctor's mind. "I- I can't… I don't know what… I can hear her," Rose whispered in broken sentences to her husband.

"Who? You can hear who?" the Doctor asked, searching her face for a hint of her meaning.

"The TARDIS," Rose muttered, sending the Doctor's eyebrows to his hairline. "Her singing, it's in my head. I can feel it. It hurts, Doctor," Rose voice broke at the end.

Now that the Doctor knew the source of the problem, he knew how to ease her pain. With a smooth voice, the Doctor coaxed, "Rose, you're gonna be alright, do you hear me? I can help you, you just have to trust me and let go of the wall." Rose let out a desperate noise that broke the Doctor's one heart and he continued, "I know it will hurt at first, but it will get better, I promise. Please, Rose. Come away. Come to me." Rose cracked open her left eye to see the strangled face of the Doctor and his outstretched hand to her. Warily, Rose began to slide her left hand over the wall and closer to the Doctor's. When she finally made it, she tore her hand away from the wall and into the Doctor's palm. Slowly, Rose lifted her head away from the wall. The utter silence was deafening and the only company she had in her head was the intense pull from the wall, from the other universe. Like a cord snapping, Rose let out a wail and her knees gave out from under her. Moving quick, the Doctor rushed over to catch her and cradled her against his strong body. Gaining his footing, the Doctor knew what he had to do to ease his wife's pain and the sooner the better. In one smooth move, he slid one arm under her legs with the other secured around her waist and lifted his wife in a bridal carry, and began to book it out of Room Zero. Rose was obviously still in pain so he ran until he reached the staircase, opened the door, and ran up those, too. When he had reached ground level, Rose appeared much better and had stopped moaning 3 floors ago, but the Doctor had wanted her OUT. Taking a deep breath, Rose's eye fluttered open and took in the image above her: her Doctor, saving her from another possible danger, and her love for him swelled. She hoped he could feel it. The Doctor glanced down at her, and when he noticed her soft gaze, he visibly relaxed. He didn't slow down, though, and when Rose turned her head, the Doctor was already hallway out the front door.

"Doctor, what are you doing? We can't just leave," Rose tried to protest, but was exhausted from the mental and emotional turmoil she had just gone through and the Doctor only picked up the pace.

"We're going home," the Doctor responded, "the medical bay at Torchwood is too close for comfort to Room Zero and I need to examine you. Don't worry, I told Pete I was looking for you and he saw us leaving on Sublevel 5. You're still having those headaches, aren't you?" the Doctor asked. Rose didn't appreciate the accusation and was about to say that he didn't seem to care that much when she told him the first time, but the defeated tone in his voice stopped her.

"Yeah, I am. They were never as bad as that, though," Rose said instead. The Doctor nodded a bit, then struggled to find his keys while holding Rose, and at this sight, Rose made to stand up, but the Doctor retrieved the keys from his pocket and unlocked the passenger side door. Sliding his precious cargo in the seat, the Doctor released his wife and placed a kiss on top of her forehead and whispered, "I'm sorry, Rose. So sorry."

Rose reached out her hand to grab his before he could walk away and firmly stated, "You have nothing to be sorry for. You came when I needed you. What more could I possibly want?" At these words, the Doctor placed a short but strong kiss on her lips and removed himself to get into the driver's seat. When he got in, he latched his hand to Rose's and didn't let go until they were home, which was only half the time it would normally take due to the Doctor's desperate need to get home and get his Rose examined.

When he pulled in the drive, he parked the car and dashed over to Rose's side. Not wanting to be a complete invalid, Rose insisted, "Doctor, I'm feeling better now, I think I can walk on my own now," she finished with a smile. She didn't want to hurt the Doctor's feelings, but she knew what was in store for her, and that she wasn't gonna be moving from his lab table any time soon. Still wanting to be helpful, however, the Doctor wrapped his arm over her shoulders and guided her inside.

On the table in the basement, Rose, trying to lighten the mood a bit, asked, "So, what's the verdict, Doc? Am I gonna live to see tomorrow?" She smiled a bit in his direction, but he wouldn't turn around to face her. It had been a few hours, and Rose had patiently undergone all her husband's tests, but he had been silent for about 10 minutes, and if Rose was honest, she was starting to get wary. She had heard him mutter a few words under his breath, English and Gallifreyan alike, and she had picked up something about "connection" and "telepathic" and "Bad Wolf". After 5 more minutes of silence from the Doctor and the only sound was some tapping on the computer he was working on and her increasing heart rate, he finally let out an audible sigh and turned around, supporting himself against the table across from Rose. His eyes didn't meet hers for a few seconds, and Rose knew that whatever was happening to her was serious and the Doctor needed time to sort out his thoughts. After another agonizing minute, the Doctor finally spoke.

"Yes, you will live to see tomorrow," he said in an oddly even tone. Still worried, Rose cautiously pressed,

"Well, that's good, but what's happened to me, Doctor?" She didn't need to wait long this time as the Doctor continued as if she never said anything,

"You'll live to see tomorrow, and the next day, and the next week, and the next year, and the next decade, and the next century…" the Doctor said with increasing emotion and by the end of his sentence he put his head in his hands. Rose had never seen her husband this broken before, and the sight before her was an effective distraction from what he had just said. The next century? What did he mean? Trying to get him to talk to her and remain calm, Rose hopped off the table and walked over to where the Doctor was hiding his face. She put a hand on his knee and confidently said,

"Doctor, whatever is going on, we'll think of something. We've been in worse scrapes, yeah? Just know that I love you and trust you more than anything. Don't leave me now." She rubbed his knee a bit as she spoke and slowly grabbed the hands covering her husband's face and lowered them so she could look at him. What she saw broke her heart. Tears, streaming down his beautiful face and eyes so sorrowful, you'd think he'd just watched everyone he loved die. Lost for words, Rose tenderly wiped his tears away and planted two loving kisses on those eyes. Her efforts proved successful as he put his hands on her waist and drew her close against him, pressing their foreheads together.

"I've failed you," he whispered. Instinctually, Rose tried to contradict him, saying,

"Of course you haven't, you'd never-,' but the Doctor cut her off more strongly,

"No, I failed you before, when I was still a Time Lord. I never did complete tests on you after the Gamestation, it was all about me- the regeneration, making sure you knew I was still the Doctor, and convincing you to keep traveling. And then there was the fact that I loved you so much and I was scared of losing you, but I was so thick that I didn't even think about the fact that that would never happen! Why didn't I think?!" The Doctor had separated them by now and was up and pacing the floor before her.

"What do you mean, 'that would never happen'? You did lose me. We were separated by the Void," Rose was confused. Nothing that the Doctor was saying was making sense.

"Not that kind of losing you," the Doctor continued, confusing Rose even further. "Ever since I realized I was falling in love with you, I was scared of losing you to death. To old age. You see, I was afraid of loving you, then losing you, and I wasn't ready to deal with that loss. Humans, you have such short life spans, me, I can live for thousands of years if I keep regenerating. You could spend the rest of your life with me, but I couldn't spend the rest of my life with you. Remember? The-," the Doctor started but was cut off by Rose saying,

"The curse of the Time Lords. Yes, I remember." A million things were running through Rose's head, but she focused on one and hoping she was wrong she said quietly, "So, by 'that would never happen' you mean that…" she trailed off, hoping the Doctor would, or wouldn't, confirm her suspicions.

"That I wouldn't lose you. Not to old age at least. Bad Wolf changed you, Rose. You're actually more Gallifreyan than human, now. Rose, you're gonna be around for a very, very long time."


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to all who've reviewed so far! I love you guys already. Chapter two is now up!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, it's characters, or Russel T. Davies. Who wants Steven Moffat anyway?**

 **Chapter II**

Rose didn't know what to think. How was anyone supposed to respond in this situation? She was gonna lose everyone. Her mum, Pete, Tony, the Doctor. She supposed this was why they hadn't had any luck with children. They just weren't compatible anymore. Rose hadn't moved from where she was standing, and the Doctor had stopped pacing. The penny had dropped, so now what? Did Rose just live out her curse? She was beginning to understand how the Doctor felt. Oh, god. The Doctor. Rose looked up at him and it all hit her at once. Now she was the one who went on living as he died. Well, she knew one thing for sure. She wasn't giving up just yet, and she wasn't leaving her husband. She said this thought aloud,

"I'm not leaving you. 'Till death do us part, I made that vow and I'm not breaking it," the Doctor looked up at her, astonished. It wasn't like he assumed or even thought for a second that she was leaving him, but the lack of time it took for her to make that decision was humbling. The Doctor knew he couldn't have, and didn't, come to that decision that quick. 'Just another reminder that Rose is so much stronger than I am,' the Doctor thought, 'And I deserve her even less.' As if reading his thoughts, Rose continued, "Like I said, we'll think of something. You're my brilliant Doctor. Surely a challenge like this will suck you in like a moth to a flame. I might have just lost you to this basement," Rose finished with an unadulterated grin.

The Doctor couldn't believe his eyes. His wife, his beautiful Rose was taking this all in in stride! 'Surely, she must be in shock,' he thought. 'One thing's for sure, though. I will be here when she comes out if it and needs to let out her tears. I'm not leaving, either.' He had only one thing to say to his bride, and God help anyone who tried to stand in his way.

"I love you with everything that I am, and I _will_ figure something out, make no mistake," the Doctor said with conviction as he strode up to Rose and captured her lips in a breathtaking kiss. Her hands were in his hair instantly, and he wrapped his arms around her body so tight, she didn't think she'd ever escape. Not that she wanted to. Before she knew it, the Doctor was lifting her up, and instinctually, she wrapped her legs around his waist. Breaking from the passionate kisses she tried to regain some clarity and breathlessly said to her husband,

"Are you sure you want to do this now? Not that I don't want to, but is there anything else I need to know about…what we were talking about," Rose reasoned with the Doctor. Without loosening his grip on her, the Doctor said in a low, rumbling voice,

"All that can wait. Right now, I want to make love to my beautiful wife and make sure you never forget about me. About us."

Saddened by his thoughts, Rose cupped his face and looked into his eyes and said, "Doctor I could never, will never, forget about you. Never. I can promise you that right here, and will prove it to you as we live our lives together. Now, weren't you just about to take me to bed, Time Lord?" Rose purred in his ear. It was almost embarrassing how quickly the Doctor was turned on by that question and knew he better start walking now if he had any chance of making it to the bed. As he dove for her lips again, Rose teased him by pulling her head away and untangling herself from his arms. Hopping back down to the floor, she turned to him with a glint in her eye, and like the temptress she was she seduced him saying, "That is, if you can catch me," and took off running up the stairs. Recovering from the daze she had effectively put him in, the Doctor broke out in a dead sprint like a predator chasing his prey. She had made it out of the basement first, but the Doctor was right on her tail as she ran past the kitchen. In one full swoop, he scooped up his squealing wife and nipped her on the shoulder as he ran the rest of the way to their bedroom. Rose was laughing up a storm and the Doctor could hardly keep a grin off his face as he planted kisses on all parts of her body. He dropped Rose when he reached the bed, and she fumbled a bit before she righted herself and laid stretched out on the bed. She had a sexy and happy smile on her face and the Doctor was yet again dumbfounded on how he got this lucky. Not wanting to part from her for long, he swiftly turned to the door. The next sounds that echoed in the house was a door closing shut and locking.

* * *

2 hours and 3 love-making sessions later, the Doctor lay on his back with his wife sprawled across him, drawing lazy circles on his chest and stomach. Earlier he had said that all the discoveries that he had made about Rose could wait, but now that he had had his fun with Rose, all he could think about was all the work he had downstairs. He didn't know how he would ever focus on Torchwood assignments again with the future of his wife at stake. There was only one thing the Doctor could think of that would solve the problem of his wife's eternal loneliness and he didn't care if it was impossible. But it would take years. Decades, even. Possibly his entire life but he would do anything and more for the love in his arms. He just hoped she could forgive him. Before he could say or do anything, he heard his wife's voice from below him saying,

"Are you ready to talk about Bad Wolf, yet? I have a feeling there have been a few more changes, not just longer life," Rose inquired, lifting her head to gauge his reaction. The Doctor felt a twinge of guilt at his selfish desires. Of course, Rose is more important! Why did he try to avoid this conversation? Not wanting to waste another second, the Doctor began to answer her question.

"Yes, there are, and will be, other changes," the Doctor replied. "You are becoming a telepath, which is why you have that headache. You are connected to the TARDIS, and being away from her is stretching your connection to its limits. I'm surprised it isn't broken. I guess I should be grateful it isn't, though, because if it was, you'd be dead," the Doctor rambled without thinking. Grimacing he continued, "Maybe you should just ask me your questions."

"Well, now I have a few more," Rose breathed out. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and reached for her robe. The Doctor quickly understood that she wanted to take this conversation elsewhere, so he pulled on his robe as well, and followed her out of the bedroom. As suspected, Rose walked into the kitchen and started making a pot of tea. The Doctor hardly acknowledged the domesticity of the situation after 3 years of being in "Pete's World". As Rose absent-mindedly went through the motions of tea making, the Doctor got comfortable on a bar stool and folded his hands in front of him. He opened his mouth 3 times but quickly shut it, trying to keep his gob in check. Now was not the time to start rambling. He might confuse or worse, scare Rose, and the last thing he wanted was to do that.

As Rose put the kettle on the stove, the Doctor straightened up, knowing her routine by now. After the kettle gets puts on heat, Rose talks to him while waiting for the water to boil. Sure enough, Rose slowly turned around to face him, thumbnail between her teeth and all. Fortunately, it didn't take Rose to gather her thoughts together and started by saying,

"So, I suppose we should start at the beginning, yeah? Bad Wolf is doing this to me? I thought you got all of it out of me. That's why you regenerated, right?" Rose began.

Sensing she was ready for him to start talking he replied, "Yes, Bad Wolf is the cause of these changes. When I did a deep analysis of your DNA, I discovered some shifting bases, which is bad news for an average human, but it's like your DNA is mutating. Mutating into Gallifreyan DNA, if I had to guess (it's not really DNA, but that doesn't matter right now). It's still too early on in the change to tell, but you shouldn't be feeling any major changes…yet. I thought I did get it all out of you, because you woke up after I did. It killed me because no one's meant to have all that power. For some reason, Bad Wolf chose you, so you survived longer than I thought possible, but your body was still deteriorating. You would have died if you stayed Bad Wolf any longer."

"So how am I alive if it's still in me?" Rose asked, cutting in when he took a breath.

"Right, without the TARDIS here I can't be certain, but it seems that just enough of the Time Vortex was left in you to not kill you, but to start bonding with you, and with the TARDIS' help, it did this delicately and without drawing any attention to itself. It was such a small amount that even if I did a thorough scan of your systems, I wouldn't be able to detect anything. You probably would have started feeling more connected to the TARDIS during this time, however. Is that true?" the Doctor prodded.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Rose replied, "Yes…I remember being able to detect her feelings and some form of communication. At first I thought it was my imagination…" Rose trailed off. How could she not notice this red flag? The entire time she was traveling with "pretty boy" Doctor, she had started forming a relationship with the TARDIS and didn't even give it second thought! How thick was she?

"That's what I thought. You have a piece of the TARDIS' soul inside of you, Rose. That's why you could communicate, if only barely. It's like if you ate a tree," the Doctor thought an analogy would help her understand. "If you shoved the whole tree in your mouth, you wouldn't be able to survive, but if you swallowed a seed and it could grow, figuratively speaking, I know you can't grow a tree in your stomach, Rose, don't give me that look, then eventually you'd have a tree."

"But the tree would still kill me if it grew all the way," Rose countered.

'Alright, bad analogy,' the Doctor berated himself. "Ok, it's not a tree, it's a decorative plant," the Doctor tried to recover.

"Ok…" Rose decided to ditch the Doctor's crummy analogy and ask some more of her questions. "So, what about my head? Whatever's pulling, is that the TARDIS?" Rose asked.

"Yes," the Doctor answered, "Like I said, you two have a connection, and that connection is keeping Bad Wolf from engulfing you completely. The only way you could have a connection with my TARDIS in this world, if the other me sealed all of the cracks is…" the Doctor stopped, leaving Rose hanging. The Doctor made no move to continue so Rose asked,

"Is what, Doctor?"

The Doctor met her eyes and in all seriousness said, "Is if not all the cracks are closed."

Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. "There may still be a crack open?" she asked with wide eyes. "How can there still be a crack open? After all this time? You said you'd get them all!" Rose protested to her husband.

"Well, I'm not perfect, alright? Even a complete and utter genius like me can make mistakes, if rarely," the Doctor defended himself.

'Boy is he a humble one,' Rose rolled her eyes. Then the danger of the situation forced her to focus. "If there is a crack open somewhere, then Cybermen and Daleks could come through. We have to close it!"

The Doctor realized this is where the rubber met the road, then. There was a chance Rose could be right, but it had been three years, and no signs of Cybermen or Daleks, so unless they were really good at hide-and-seek, they probably weren't coming. But they could. But if he closed the only crack(s) in this universe, it would cut Rose off from the TARDIS and he didn't want to think about what would happen next. "They may not be coming. I'll have to find one and check it out. If they were coming, they would've come by now, or perished in the Void." The Doctor wasn't quite truthful on the whole "perishing in the Void" bit, as he wasn't quite sure himself if that would happen, the Void's always been kind of a mystery, but he needed to relax Rose a bit. "There may not be a crack at all, or it could be so tiny that nothing could fit though, save some microscopic molecule or-,"

"Or a psychic connection between a girl and a space-and-time ship?" Rose guessed. The Doctor gave her a grin and Rose returned it, just as the kettle started whistling. Rose poured the steaming liquid into the two mugs she had already set out, one with two sugars and a dash of cream, and one with 5 sugars and no cream. Setting the kettle back down, Rose walked back to where the Doctor was, mugs in each hand. She set the sugary one in front of the Doctor and he uttered a sweet "Thank you" before taking a huge gulp. After he finished swallowing, he said what he had pressed on his mind and made sure Rose understood its significance.

"Rose, the crack, if there is one, should be our salvation. Well, your salvation, really, as I won't be going anywhere, but you definitely will, and don't think you're fighting me on this one, love," the Doctor rambled a bit. 'Well, that was clear and concise' he shook his head at himself. Before he could clarify, Rose interjected,

"What do you mean I'm going? I'm not going anywhere! Not without you!" 'Knew I should never underestimate her' the Doctor thought to himself. Unfortunately, Rose still didn't understand what he was going at.

"That crack could be your ticket out of here and into our original universe. Don't you see? You can have a future with me, the Doctor, for the rest of your lives. It'll just take years of jiggery pokery to get the crack big enough to fit you in and not let out any unwanted specimen, and of course you'll need a transport device. Good thing we've got a growing TARDIS in the basement, yeah?" the Doctor explained with excitement in his tone. He would be able to give Rose forever, after all. It was like Christmas. He had all the work he'd ever want or need, but he was still happy.

Rose was silent. She couldn't focus on one thought. She could go back? Would the other Doctor even want her back? How would she find him? How would she fly the TARDIS? Would the TARDIS even be big enough to fly? How would she move on from one Doctor to the next? He left her here. Her heart couldn't take much more of this. Breathing rapidly, Rose realized she needed a chair and quick. With frantic eyes, she saw one next to the Doctor, and grasped the bar before her for support. Realizing her struggle, the Doctor leaped up from his chair and supported his wife as she walked to the other stool. Finally sitting, Rose put her elbows on the table and her head in her hands.

The Doctor opted for the silent approach to help Rose cope with the situation, but not for a lack of things to say. In fact, he had a more or less well-crafted speech just waiting to be tested by the speed of his gob. Instead, however, he gave Rose time to think this over. After a few minutes, he heard Rose utter with tears in her voice,

"What if he doesn't want me?"

That hadn't been what the Doctor had expected at all, and that's saying something. Ready to defend himself he replied, "Rose, that's absurd. How many times have I told you I loved you?"

" _You_ have, yes," Rose returned, "But he hasn't. And it's been a while. He's probably moved on, got another young, naïve girl desperate for adventure and love from a handsome genius to travel with him. And he left us here, remember? Left _me_. What man leaves the woman he loves behind, never to see her again?" Rose finished with a tear falling down her cheek.

The Doctor understood where his wife was coming from, but she didn't quite see what was right in front of her, "A man who is so deeply in love with you that he gave you the perfect life in exchange for his own happiness."

Rose looked up at her husband, speechless and guilty. How could she not have seen that? She had always focused on the fact that he left her here, without a choice in the matter, and without a proper goodbye and Rose had ignored the fact that she had everything and he left with nothing. Oh, how she wished she could hold him and apologize for her selfishness. And then it hit her. She could go back, and she was going back, apparently. Wiping her tears away, she gazed at her husband, determined and ready to get started on the project that would last them the rest of his life, and grabbed his hand. The Doctor got the message and stood them up, and led Rose down to the basement.

Rose had hardly ever been down there, due to her hectic schedule (that she was trying desperately not to think about at that moment), and her utter lost-ness she felt down there. She was much more well-versed in alien knowledge, and knowledge in general, than when she first started traveling with the Doctor, but she was still nowhere near her husband's level. Almost tripping on a strange, mechanical device on the ground, she made her way to where the Doctor was leading her, the TARDIS coral. It didn't look any larger to Rose than when she first saw it, but there was something about it that was different than before. Furrowing her brows, she walked closer to it until she felt a familiar sensation- the pulling in her head, there was a separate tug, and it was to the coral. It wasn't unpleasant like the last time, though, so with amazed eyes she walked right up to the… "plant" … and reached out her hand. Upon making physical contact, she felt something in her head snap, like two chain links fusing together. Somehow, Rose knew that she had just bonded telepathically with the little TARDIS coral. With a bemused grin, Rose instinctually sent feelings of contentment through the bond, and surprisingly got a response! The baby TARDIS "replied" in a way, by sending the feeling back to her, even more enthusiastic as she had been. Shocked, Rose drew her hand away from the coral and the emotions stopped flowing into her, but she could still feel the connection they formed. With wide eyes and her mouth half-open, she turned her head to the Doctor to find him looking down at her, a happy smile on his face and hands buried in his bigger-on-the-inside pockets. Slyly, he commented,

"Had a nice chat, have you? And here I thought you'd need me. You're doing just fine on your own," the Doctor acted offended. Still amazed at what had just transpired, Rose looked back at the coral, then back to the Doctor and asked,

"What just happened?"

The Doctor sniffed, then replied, "What do you think?"

Nodding, Rose offered with her eyebrow raised, "Telepathic?" At the Doctor's nod, Rose questioned, "But, how?"

"Now, there's a question," the Doctor started. "What do you remember about Bad Wolf?"

"Those words we kept seeing?" Rose asked. The Doctor nodded. "I remember you sending me back home and I thought I'd never see you again, spent a couple hours with mum and Mickey, then saw those words graffitied by the Powell Estate, and I just got this feeling that they were meant for me. Like, it was a message for me. Leading me to you. After that, I got Mickey and mum to help me open up the TARDIS like she did with Margaret the Slitheen. I remember mum coming up with a massive truck and after that, there was light and this song… I miss that song…" Rose trailed off. Subconsciously, Rose lifted a hand to hold her forehead as her headache seemed to flare up. "The song… the same song I heard in Room Zero," Rose looked up at the Doctor with wide eyes. "That was the TARDIS," Rose realized. Everything was starting to come together in her head. So, when she opened up the heart of the TARDIS, she must have taken up some kind of residence in Rose's mind, and was the one who made 'Bad Wolf' appear everywhere they went. She must have made her telepathic, too, and now Rose could hear the TARDIS' song in her head. She didn't remember getting headaches like this before, however. 'Must be a side effect of being separated from her,' Rose reasoned with herself, 'In order to keep my head from exploding, the TARDIS must have bonded us together and took up some of the burden that Bad Wolf was causing me to bear and limited the effects of the telepa-,' Rose gasped. Where had that come from? It wasn't the Doctor's usual techno-babble, but it was definitely impressive for her. How had she come up with that so quickly? Rose glanced at the Doctor to see him staring at her with his eyebrows in his hairline and a dazed grin on his face. Ah, she must have said all that out loud, then. A bit shyly, she asked her husband,

"Am I right, then?"

The Doctor blinked, then broke out into a huge grin, "Oh, my dear Rose, it doesn't look like you'll need me for tutoring anymore."


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: This is my favorite chapter so far, I hope you guys like it! Your reviews are awesome, I accept critical ones as well; any opportunity to improve my writing is well-received.**

 **Disclaimer: I own zip. Zero. Nada. Zilch. Nuthin'.**

 **Chapter III**

"Language, Rose. Language. Laaaanguaaaage. Language is a beautiful thing, really. Unique. But yet, so similar to other languages. And I'm not just talking about Earth. On Sziblonn, the only thing different between their languages is the font, but I don't really think that's very creative, what do you think?"

Rose was sitting in her office at Torchwood with a wide spread of textbooks on her desk. It had been 1 year since the discovery of her telepathy and growing Time Lord mind, and she hadn't caught a break since. Now that both she and the Doctor were aware of her developing abilities, it was all tests and exercises and learning everything she possibly could, from genetics to history to… what was the Doctor rambling about now? Oh, language.

"Yes, it's all very interesting, love," Rose patiently responded. Despite what her husband said a year ago, it looked as if he elected himself as her personal tutor, and without all the fun stuff that usually came with it. "What language am I learning, now?"

"Sziblonnian, weren't you paying attention?" the Doctor rather impatiently commented. 'Oh, how I could just strangle that man' Rose said inwardly. "I know we've been focusing on the modern Earth languages, but it doesn't hurt to start learning ones in nearby galaxies. You never know where you'll be traveling with 'other me'," he finished with a grin that didn't reach his eyes.

Rose felt a twinge of sadness at his casual mention of her life after he was gone. She knew this wasn't a walk in the park for him, no matter how much he smiled and said he was happy for her. It was like writing his will, or planning his funeral (both of which he had already done, the git).

On a lighter note, she did, in fact, know most of the common Earth languages: English, Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Danish, Russian, and Italian. She couldn't believe she'd be able to learn just those at first, but her brain seemed to have other ideas. And it wasn't just language she had been learning. Advanced Calculus, astronomy, and chemistry were among the subjects she was draining dry. With a small grin, she imagined how the other Doctor would react when he found out that the Rose with no A-levels was gone and the Time Lady Rose had replaced her. She hoped he would like the new changes. 'What if he liked the old me better?' Rose worried, 'Now he won't be able to show off to me like he used to, I can keep up now.' This didn't deter her, however, just the sheer fact that she could keep up with his mind now gave Rose a boost of pride.

After a moment of thinking all of this, she realized it was her turn to say something. With her increased memory storage, she quickly recalled the last thing the Doctor said. "Yes, well, you still haven't taken me to Barcelona. Not sure I believe you about the whole 'dogs-with-no-noses' thing," Rose replied with a teasing grin.

The Doctor observed his wife (hopefully) without her noticing. Her brain was growing in capacity and she now had a basic time-sense, which made her capable of so much more. He couldn't be prouder of his wife, really, and it was like the perfect Gallifreyan marriage: both parties telepathic, able to send emotions and small thoughts through the bond they shared. Yes, they had formed a telepathic bond and it was glorious, thought the Doctor. Everything he was missing and more. He was worried he wouldn't be able to form one, but he was naturally telepathic, and even some humans can be telepathic (can't forget little Timmy Latimer), and Rose provided the rest. It definitely made their nights more interesting, thought the Doctor with a smirk. Now, Rose had said something, hadn't she? "Of course, it's real! Why would I lie to you about that? Maybe that should be your next language, then. Ah, yes, I remember Blitzan, it's the most common language on Barcelona," the Doctor submitted after a second had passed.

"Blitzen? Isn't that one of Father Christmas' reindeer?"

"No, not Blitzen, Blitzan!" the Doctor corrected although they sounded the exact same.

Before Rose could remark on that fact, another voice pierced the air from the doorway, "What's this about Christmas? You realize it's October, don't you?" the distinct voice of Jackie Tyler announced. "Although, I still have to start planning the annual Christmas party…what do you think about Junipers this year?" 'Give a man a break' the Doctor thought with a not-too-hidden pained look towards Rose.

Shooting her husband a look, Rose plastered a smile onto her face and greeted her mother, "Mum, what a surprise. Actually, what are you doing here?" Rose feebly finished.

"Oh, don't worry about me, it's only your mother, who took care of you for 19 years, and this is the gratitude I get? I hardy see you anymore! Do I need an excuse to come see my daughter? And what about the likes of him, eh? He all but kidnaps you, then marries you, and I still don't get to see you! It's the least you can do since it looks as if I'm not getting any grandbabies anytime soon," Jackie lamented.

For her own safety, Rose and the Doctor only told her bits and pieces of the changes in Rose. Mainly, her lack of aging, since it was the most noticeable. They had left her to tell Tony what she wanted, but Pete knew more of the details for Rose's safety. The last thing they needed was for Rose to become another alien Torchwood needed to 'take care of'. Usually, that meant peacefully approaching and convincing them to leave the planet, unless they were hostile, then that led to aggression on both parties, and in rare cases, full-out battles. With Pete more involved, any sudden changes in Rose's character or DNA could be easily covered up.

Back to the subject at hand, Rose entertained her mother by saying, "I'm sorry we don't visit more, mum. You know how busy our lives are. How's Tony?" Rose tried shifting the subject to something more pleasant.

"You would know if you visited at all! And he's at home, doing some schoolwork. Not sure where he gets that mind of his, but I could take a guess. He's 7 now, I can hardly believe it," Jackie sighed. She then turned her attention back to her daughter as she continued, "But what I came here for was to invite you two over for dinner tonight. I have something special planned and want you both there, yeah?" Jackie asked with a pleading look on her face. Rose knew her mother never showed any form of weakness and the fact that she was in any way begging them to come was a sign that this was very important to her. Whatever she had planned, it must have been incredible, Rose mused. Going through her schedule quickly in her head and noting that the only things she'd have to reschedule were some lessons with her husband, she responded to her mother,

"Of course we'll be there, mum."

The Doctor couldn't help the flare of fear and disbelief that passed from his mind to his wife's. Rose cracked a grin at his reaction. 'Ever afraid of my mum, that one,' Rose chuckled to herself. Rose glanced over to her husband and raised an eyebrow, causing him to blush and turn his head away from her.

Jackie strode over to her daughter and swept her into a hug, saying in her ear, "Thank you, love. It means a lot," Jackie then turned to the Doctor and with a pointed finger, remarked, "And I expect you not to give Rose any trouble over this. I want you there right next to her, I _am_ your mother-in-law after all," she then wrapped her arms around his neck and put a big, wet kiss on his cheek. After she released him, she patted his shoulder, then walked out of Rose's office. After a couple of seconds, the door opened again and Jackie's head popped in to say, "I'll have you both at 7," before it shut again.

Before he could say anything, Rose said to her husband, "Well, at least she didn't kiss you on the lips this time," which rewarded her in a raised eyebrow from the Doctor.

* * *

Later that night, Rose plopped down on the bed and began taking off her shoes. "No wonder mum wanted us both there tonight," Rose said to the Doctor, "Another baby, I never would have guessed!"

Her mum had cooked an excellent dinner- her famous roast- so Rose knew something was up. When the food was all gone and Jackie made the announcement, Rose could hardly contain herself with the excitement. If she couldn't be a mother, then she could be the best aunt this parallel Earth has ever seen.

"I'm sorry you can't have children of your own," the Doctor apologized from across the room.

Rose got up and walked over to him and pulled him to her by the hand. "My family is right here. I don't need anything else," Rose firmly stated while gazing into his eyes. For a second, Rose saw something shiny in the air between them, and squinted, trying to get a better look. She moved her head from side to side, and concentrated again. Whatever she saw, it was beautiful. She backed up a couple steps from her husband and concentrated again, and she caught another glimpse of- whatever it was. The Doctor was confused by now and expressed his confusion by asking,

"What are you looking at?"

"There's something in the air," Rose said while still trying to see it properly. "Something shiny and almost thread-like. I caught a glimpse of it between us, but now it looks like I've lost it."

The Doctor took a breath and responded, "What you might be seeing are Time Traces. Only Time Lords, and Ladies, can see them. Time Traces are what connect every being to another, and certain ones share different qualities. A basic Trace is a pale blue color. Every sentient being is connected through basic Time Traces. But with each new development, say, a friendship or comradery is born between two people, the connection turns a violet color. The deeper the connection is between a couple, the more knot-like points appear on it, called Jewels. Each Jewel represents a certain… erm… claim a person has on another. 3 or 4 Jewels usually signify a deep relationship between a couple," the Doctor rambled, his ears turning pink.

As the Doctor was speaking, Rose felt the usual affection and love for this daft old man flare up, and in that instant, the shiny thing that Rose saw before presented itself once more, even brighter than before, and it lasted much longer. Rose could see what the Doctor had been talking about, there were several "Jewels", as he called them, along the shimmering thread, and she counted almost 10. It was also a gold color, which puzzled her, as the Doctor didn't mention what a gold Time Trace meant. She hoped it was a good thing. Mesmerized, Rose reached out a hand to touch it, but it vanished before she could. Sighing, she put her hand back down and said,

"I saw it, but it's gone again," Rose focused on her husband's eyes again. They were mixed with awe, concern, desire, and something else she couldn't name.

"What did it- ah, what did it look like?" the Doctor asked with emotion coloring his tone.

"It was shiny, kind of sparkly," Rose started. 'Very intelligent, Rose,' she chided herself. "There were about 10 of those Jewel things you were talking about. And it was gold. I was just thinking about how much I loved you, and there it was," Rose finished with a blush.

The Doctor gazed lovingly down at her, and raised a hand to cup her cheek. Naturally, she leaned into that hand and looked up at her husband through her lashes. Knowing her husband, she could sense the desire pouring off of him, and pushing down her own growing excitement, for now, she asked him another question,

"What does gold mean? You said pale blue was for everyone and violet was for friendship,"

"Only the deepest of relationships have gold," the Doctor said, his voice unnaturally low. He took one step forwards, causing Rose to step back towards the bed. "Bonded couples," the Doctor said as he leaned towards her. He pressed feather-light kisses to her temple, traveling down her face and to her ear.

"A-and what about 10 Jewels? What does that mean?" Rose asked, knowing that would be the last coherent sentence she uttered that night.

The Doctor kissed his wife on the neck so hard, she could feel the hickey forming. After a few seconds, he pulled back, soothed the spot with his tongue, and hoarsely replied in her ear,

"It means I've claimed you. And in 10 different ways. Care to explore them?" If Rose hadn't had a death-grip on her husband's forearms, she would have collapsed by how sudden her knees gave out. He did notice the state she was in, however, and lifted her up so that her feet were dangling off the ground, and carried her over to the bed. As he laid her down ever so slowly, Rose opened her eyes and was treated with shimmering gold all around them. She instinctually touched one, and moved her thumb over a Jewel. She gasped at the sudden sensation that coursed through her whole body and into her soul. She was vaguely aware that the Doctor had uttered a similar gasp and she lifted hooded eyes to his. 'So that's what the Jewels are for,' Rose remarked to herself with a smirk. As soon as the smirk appeared on her face, the Doctor attacked it with his mouth, causing her to forget for a while about everything except her husband's mouth on hers.

* * *

 _Flash-forward_ _, Date: Unknown_

 _Rose ran around the console, flipping switches and entering codes and praying to any god that would listen that she would make it this time. She had to._

 _"_ _The Doctor. Take me to the Doctor. Doctor. Doctor," Rose repeated like a mantra. The console sparked and a window shattered somewhere, but Rose didn't look up from the screen she held onto. "That's it, girl. Easy now. Easy!" The room gave a big shake, sending Rose flying in the other direction. She quickly got up and staggered over to the console again, frantically pushing buttons and almost wishing she had a mallet. She put her hand on a toggle-shaped instrument and pushed it in different directions so quick that one would think she was just shaking it if they weren't a Time Lord. The TARDIS then let out an alarm and lit the room in red light, but this only made Rose's manic smile grow._

 _"_ _Bumpy landing, then? My favorite," Rose let out a whoop and sat down on the jump seat, holding on for dear life._

* * *

Present Day, Parallel Earth

Rose flipped the light switch at the top of the stairs, revealing her and the Doctor's massive basement. She made sure she spent some time down here each day, forming and growing her telepathic bond to her TARDIS. Yes, she was considered Rose's TARDIS because Rose was the one who was able to telepathically connect to her, despite Rose's desire to let the Doctor "have" her, for however long he was able. Realistically, though, Rose was the one communicating with her and the one who would travel with her far longer, which made Rose the owner of the growing beauty. And growing, she was. The telepathic bond was working wonders, and although she was nowhere near travel-ready, she had grown at least 3 times in size over the past year. Giving the coral a gentle stroke, Rose sent out a wave of happiness in greeting. A second later, Rose got a similar response. This was how their conversations usually went for the most part, simply exchanging emotions, and Rose would do all of the talking. Not that she expected a verbal response. However, she did receive emotional responses from time to time, like a burst of humor if Rose was laughing at something the Doctor did, or sympathy if Rose was feeling down. Rose appreciated the company and never felt too lonely down here, even if her voice was the only sound in the cavernous room.

Rose started the conversation, "So, how's your day been, little lady? I don't expect it's been that bad, perhaps a bit boring, since there's nothing to do around here except grow. Sorry, hun. I promise to take you on all sorts of adventures when you're big enough. Why don't I tell you some stories, eh?" Rose racked her brain for a story she hadn't told yet. Suddenly, one popped in her head that she hadn't told the small TARDIS, although she didn't really feel like reliving it. It was one of the reasons she hadn't told that one yet. Her TARDIS seemed to have other ideas, however, and Rose could hardly think about anything but Krop Tor.

"Oh, you really wanna hear that one, yeah? Well, if it will get you to stop pestering me about it, I guess I'll tell you. Can't keep any secrets from you, now can I?" She caught a hint of smugness coming from the TARDIS coral, and opted to ignore her cheek while she focused on retelling a rather horrific adventure for her.

The Doctor walked into his and Rose's home, coming back from doing some lab work at Torchwood. Even though it was a Saturday, Torchwood calling him in to do some extra work was not uncommon, and the Doctor would never admit it to Pete, but he didn't mind it at all. Challenges for Torchwood were usually child's games for the Doctor, but every now and then he'd get a tricky one, and that kept his Time Lord mind busy. He was unhappy leaving Rose alone, however, as she didn't have that many friends here in Pete's World, and had most likely not left the house in his absence. Her car was still in the drive, so the Doctor shucked his jacket and threw it across a chair and set his briefcase beside it, like a proper domestic husband, the Doctor thought with a slight grimace. Acknowledging the silence in the house, he called out,

"Rose?"

When no response came, he journeyed throughout the entire first floor, and discovering no Rose, headed towards the basement. When he opened the door and saw the lights on, he released a relieved breath he didn't know he was holding. Quietly, he made his way down the stairs and heard Rose speaking softly to the TARDIS coral. As he grew closer, he started putting together what she was saying.

"…the rocket, and it wasn't until I came to that I realized they had drugged me and forced me on that bloody rocket, with Tony nonetheless. The archeologist, you remember? Yeah, so when I came to, I demanded to be let off and all that, but it was too late. It was just then that the rocket stopped flying away, and towards the black hole. Everything seemed to happen at once, Tony got those symbols all over him again, his eyes were red, and he was shouting about him being the darkness and the eternal one and he was breathing fire, so what did I do? I threw a fire extinguisher into the front window of the rocket, and unbuckled Tony. I didn't hardly think about it, really. It seemed like the right thing to do, and I was panicking. What if I murdered him, Tony? What if he didn't have to die?" Silence lasted for about 15 seconds when the Doctor heard her voice again. "Well, after that, the Doctor in his TARDIS, your big sister, started towing us away from the black hole and he had a very alive Ida Scott on board in exchange for me," He heard Rose breath out a little laugh, "I was so happy to hear his voice then. I thought I'd never loved him more than in that moment. Oh, how wrong I was. And you can come out now, Doctor," Rose finished, louder. When he stepped into the light, he saw Rose's shining eyes gazing at him. She lowered her hand down from the coral and stretched her back.

"How long have you been down here, love?" The Doctor asked his wife when he reached her and with a peck on the cheek.

"An hour, 13 minutes and 27 seconds," Rose replied with a wide smile on her face.

"That's all? What else have you been doing today?" Even though it was only 10 o'clock in the morning, Rose had been sleeping less and less, now only needing 5 hours a night instead of 7, and since she had gone to bed at around 11 o'clock the night before, she had probably been awake and active since 4 am. "When I left, you were cleaning up breakfast, which I thank you dearly for, but there must have been something you were you doing to pass the time. Unless there are some cracks in our walls I need to worry about?" he finished with a smirk.

"No, I didn't stare at walls all day, thank you," Rose rolled her eyes, "Thought I would catch up on some homework, so I finished the scientific journals we had on hand," Rose waved away.

The Doctor couldn't believe it. "You read the scientific journals? ALL of them? Even the ones-,"

"The ones in your sock drawer, yes. And the one you keep in your pillowcase. Honestly, Doctor? Why there?" Rose said with a shake of her head.

The Doctor spluttered, "It's- it's a good edition! And that's hundreds of journals, Rose. You finished 350 scientific journals in one morning?"

"352, but yes. Thought I'd go for some 'light reading' as you would say," Rose said with an eyebrow twitch. "Are you hungry? I'll go start on lunch." With a peck on the lips, she made her way upstairs, effectively ending that conversation.

The Doctor sighed. These changes were just as hard on her as they were on him, he reminded himself. It's not every day your brain decides that it needs to increase its memory storage space 100-fold. It was changing her personality as well, he was noticing. Small, immeasurable changes, really, but they were still there. Her cockney accent was fading away slightly, and she was more self-reliant than she used to be. Asking less questions and trying to solve the mystery in her own head first. This was natural for a Time Lord, he had to remind himself, and with her growing knowledge, there weren't many questions she had for normal people anymore. He finally had someone who truly understood what it was like to be him, and he didn't feel any happiness over it. She truly knew what it was like to be him- the loneliness included. And once he died and their bond broke… he tried not to think about what that would do to her. He knew all too well that pain.

 **A/N: Sorry to leave it on such a sad note, the next chapter is kindy heavy as well, but it will get lighter, I promise! So, I got the name "Jewel" from some research I did on Gallifrey and in one account, the planet was called Jewel (** ** _Comic: Return of the Daleks_** **). Nice bit of TARDIS trivia for ya :) Also, the term "Time Trace" is not my own creation, I remember reading a VERY good fic- short, only one chapter, and for the life of me I cannot remember the title or the author! So if any of you know which fic I'm referring to, feel free to review or PM me!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and definitely not that Time Lord in my closet... What?**

 **Chapter IV**

 _5 years, 7 months, and 8 days later_

Oh, it all started out so well.

Why did this keep happening to her?

With each passing day, Rose got more and more Gallifreyan and the Doctor got less and less… well, "The Doctor". At first, it was just the loss of telepathy and biological changes, but then it became impaired memory and hallucinations and terrible nightmares. Then one day, he cried out in pain, held his head, and passed out. Rose took him to the medical at Torchwood, and was now clutching his hand like a lifeline. She'd been there for 4 hours, pacing, holding his hand, checking the status on the computers, holding his hand, yelling at anyone who was unlucky enough to walk in on her, holding his hand, crying into his shoulder, holding his hand.

When he started to stir, Rose bolted over from where she was pacing and clutched his hand, as she spoke,

"Doctor? Doctor, come back. Come back to me. You're alright, love. That's it, just open your eyes. Doctor?" Rose coached softly.

Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, then focused on her. His eyebrows furrowed and he spoke words Rose never wanted to hear.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

Rose let her grip on his hand relax and moved it to her lap where the other one laid. Throat clenching, Rose responded, "It's me, darling. It's Rose. You're at Torchwood, you passed out. Been complaining about headaches," Rose trailed off. What could she say? Her husband didn't remember her. This wasn't supposed to be happening for another 50 years or so, and Rose was not in any way prepared for the hurt that coursed through her body.

The Doctor looked confused, and Rose got an idea. Lifting her hands off her lap, she started to move them towards the Doctor's temples. Before he could react, Rose soothingly told him, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you. This will help you get your memories back, I promise." The Doctor still shifted his head away from her and Rose calmly continued, "I love you, Doctor. Please, let me in."

As her fingertips grazed his temples, the Doctor's eyes fluttered closed, and Rose's eyes joined his as she focused on their mental connection. She sent images of them meeting, his first word to her, and flashed images of their adventures, Charles Dickens, the Dalek, the Gamestation, the regeneration, smiling up at his newly regenerated face, apple grass, Krop Tor, the 27 planets, and everything in between. She made sure she projected her love towards him with every memory, and amplified it when she got to their wedding, and the day they formed their bond. That seemed to do it, as she felt a love so strong suddenly coursing into her, and knew that her husband remembered her. Hesitantly, she removed her fingers and opened her eyes to see the Doctor staring at her. For a moment, she thought that that didn't work after all, and was about to pull away, but her husband grabbed the back of her head and pulled her face towards his where his gave her a strong, passionate kiss. Overjoyed, Rose felt tears leaking from her eyes and coursing down her cheeks. She then felt the Doctor's strong hands wipe those tears away and pulled back to see his face. He then muttered,

"How could I ever forget my best girl?"

Despite the happiness Rose felt at that moment, dread crept its way into her heart as she knew that this was only the beginning. If this kept continuing, how much time did that leave the Doctor? How many more years would they share? The TARDIS still had 53 years, 3 months and 19 days to go, and Rose didn't know if she could make it through those 50 years without him.

* * *

The next few weeks were horrible for them both, each trying to stay strong for the other one and causing a rift to form between them. When they got home from Torchwood a month later, the effects of the "memory scare" presented itself.

"Are you hungry, Doctor? I can make us something to eat." Rose offered when they walked through the door. "You've had a pretty taxing day," she stated as they had come back from a field assignment. Some aliens who wanted to take over the planet again, and the Doctor had taken a hit from one of their lasers.

"Nah, I've been through worse scrapes than this." The Doctor brushed off.

Rose quirked an eyebrow, "I'm sure you have, Doctor, when you weren't human. But now you only have one life."

"You don't think I know that?" the Doctor responded, a bit aggressively. He shed his coat and stalked down the hallway, towards their room.

Never the one to give up, Rose followed him, saying, "Doctor, I know this is a touchy subject, but-," before she could finish, the Doctor interrupted her.

"No, you don't know, Rose. I was a Time Lord, understand? I studied for 100 years to earn that title, and now I'm just a lowly human. Do you have any idea what it's like to go from the most powerful species in the universe, to one of the weakest? No, I didn't think so," he gruffly argued, throwing his tie on the ground.

"You're right, Doctor, I have no idea what it's like for your body to rebel against you, to go from one species to another. Yeah, I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. It's not like that's been happening to me for the past 9 years." Rose sarcastically replied, trying to keep her voice a reasonable volume.

"Pfft"-ing, the Doctor turned from her and finished changing into his jim jams before heading into the bathroom. Wearily, Rose started removing her own clothing. Her mum always told her to not go to bed angry, but Rose wasn't sure if she could help it this time. She wasn't full out angry at her husband, but she was definitely ticked. And she didn't know how upset her husband was. Despite what she said, she didn't completely understand what the Doctor was going through. Although she was changing as well, they were all positive changes, larger brain capacity, telepathy (even though it took a while to get used to that one), faster processing abilities, enhanced senses (she was starting to understand the Doctor's oral fixation), and durability. The Doctor was losing all of that and more, and they were all reminders that he wasn't the man he used to be. Rose realized that that was the source of his problem- him losing himself. For over 800 years, he was The Doctor, a time traveling alien who picks up human companions in his TARDIS, and sees the universe, all while saving it. Now, he was living a human life, and Rose shifted her approach from "don't push him too hard" to "give him his manhood back". That's all blokes wanted, anyway. To be the best man they can be for their wives.

Thinking quickly, Rose racked her brain for ways to bring out the Time Lord in her husband, and settled on a tactic as he was exiting the bathroom. She must have been giving off some kind of emotion that gave herself away, however, as he commented,

"Rose, I'm really not in the mood right now. Please just go to sleep."

Reigning in her hurt before it could travel far, Rose got up and walked to his side of the bed where he was now laying in. She knelt before him and held her face level to his. Thankfully, he did not turn his head away from her and she ran her hand through his hair and down his face. Biting her lip, she softly but firmly told her husband,

"Thank you for taking that laser for me today. Even though my reflexes are getting better, I'm still not quite as fast as you," Rose started. "How about you teach me about Doris V tomorrow, I'd love to hear about their week-long football matches you were telling me about," Rose then pressed a light kiss to his brow, and took her turn in the bathroom.

When she got in bed, the Doctor turned over and wrapped an arm around her and buried her face into his chest. She heard his voice from above her saying,

"I'm sorry I've been so tough to be around lately. I know you know this isn't easy, and I shouldn't take out my frustrations on you. I don't deserve you, really." Before she could object he continued, "How ever long I still have with you, I'm going to make the most of them. No reason to waste time with silly domestics," he said with a smile in his voice. He planted a kiss on top of her head and relaxed his grip enough so she could breathe, but didn't let her escape too far. She just focused on the feel of his arms around her and the promise of more happy years together.

* * *

 _3 years, 2 months, and 6 days later_

The wind blew harsh and unforgiving and Rose stood in her usual spot, flowers in her hand. She fought to keep her voice steady as she spoke,

"Tony just turned 16. He's getting so grown up. And little Johnny isn't so 'little' anymore, either. I gave him a new sonic for his birthday, his old one didn't have a lot of settings. Sorry you weren't a part of it. I miss you. More than you'll ever know. I'm sorry I changed so much, I know you loved me just the way I was. At least I was there for you when you needed me, right? Pete wants me to travel to Brazil next week, apparently I'm a decent diplomat, what do you think?" The wind howled in response. The letters on the gravestone were almost covered in darkness, and Rose looked up to see rainclouds forming overhead. "I guess that's my cue to cut this short. I'll be back soon. I love you," Rose finished and bent down to place the flowers on the ground. Sniffing, Rose wiped her eyes and shoved her hands in her pockets, reminding her of a certain Time Lord. Reluctantly, she placed her hand on the gravestone and walked away, leaving behind a stone that said:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

JACQUILINE ANDREA SUZETTE TYLER

A WIFE, MOTHER, AND DAUGHTER

1 FEBRUARY 1967- 23 NOVEMBER 2020

 _"_ _Too good in life to be forgotten in death"_

* * *

 _Flashforward, Pete's World, Date: 2064_

 _Rose walked down the path she could walk with her eyes shut. Today was finally the day. This was the last time she would come here. 'Maybe I should walk it with my eyes closed, just to see if I can,' mused Rose briefly. She had three bouquets of flowers in her hands, and made sure she altered them so they would last 100 years, give or take a decade. With butterflies in her stomach, which she didn't know she could still get, she approached the first stone, her mother. Placing her flowers there, she paid her respects and said her goodbyes. There really wasn't more left to say. She had poured out her heart and soul the past 44 years to her memory, so if she was listening, she knew it all by now. Next was Pete's gravestone. She laid the second bouquet down and proceeded to thank Pete for all he had done for her family. He had died at 87, only 24 years ago, and gave his position at Torchwood to Jake, by Rose's insistence. Pete knew it was the wiser decision, as Rose receiving the public eye was a dangerous thing. Her never-changing youth was something no journalist could ignore, and Tony inherited Vitex, naturally. Rose drifted into the shadows, still working at Torchwood for her sanity's sake, but mainly focused on her TARDIS, which was parked at the cemetery's entrance. Saying a final goodbye, Rose stepped towards the final gravestone. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, she lowered the final bouquet to the ground and bounced on her heels in from of her husband's name. For publicity's sake, it was labeled:_

JOHN TYLER NOBLE

"THE DOCTOR"

 _and he had died 6 years after her mum. Those 6 years were a blessing, but he was suffering greatly during them. His headaches turned to migraines, and he couldn't remember his own name in his last week. Eventually, he just drifted away, with Rose offering what little comfort she could, sending feelings of peacefulness and contentment through their bond. And when their bond broke, Rose cried. She could feel her soul crying, too, if that was possible. It was only when the pain in her head turned to numbness that she could properly be around people again. 38 years and she still missed him. And now she was leaving him._

 _"_ _Goodbye, love. You gave me what I thought I'd never have. A proper life with a proper husband. We had the best of times, we did," Rose choked out, her voice cracking. "I'd never replace a single moment, do you understand? Not one. And this is me, coming back to you." Rose finished, without any tears in her voice. She leaned in and kissed her hand, then touched the stone. Stalling a few more seconds, she heard the drone of her TARDIS reminding her that her window of opportunity was short and she didn't have much time. With a final farewell, she rose from her position and turned away without a fleeting glance. She had an adventure waiting for her, after all._

* * *

Present Day, Pete's World

Rose walked idly through the streets, delaying her return to her home and her husband as she tended to do these days. Her mother's passing had not been easy for anyone. It was cancer that did it, and a pretty bad case of it. When she was diagnosed, she was given 3 months to live. She died after 8 weeks. It was Rose's first taste of what was inevitable to happen throughout the rest of her long existence. Her pain had been so bad at first, that she doubted her peace with her situation, and asked the Doctor if there was any way to reverse what had happened to her. She knew there was none, but she was so grief-stricken that she couldn't think straight. Her Time Lord mind was making that harder for her, as logic and mental stamina ended up winning in the end. The first "solution" Rose had to this problem was to visit every pub in London, getting herself so hammered she could pretend she was 19 and human again and still lived with Jackie. Any thoughts of her would instantaneously sober Rose up, however, so Rose blocked out all thoughts of her mother, rather affectively, too. That was another benefit of having a Time Lord mind, Rose discovered. Blocking out or hiding memories was easier in her new mind, and that was how the Doctor wasn't consumed with thoughts of the Time War, Rose concluded. But tonight was not one of those nights. Tonight, Rose had visited her grave, one of the only rare times Rose deliberately thought of her mother, but it had started to rain, so here she was, strolling down the sidewalk, slowly becoming drenched from the rain. Rose didn't care, though. She needed time to collect herself before she could go home and face her husband. If the medical issues he'd been having weren't enough, the Doctor was starting to grey, which was a daily reminder of the ticking clock in the background of their lives.

Rose looked down at her feet as she walked down the sidewalk. Puddles were forming, and through their reflection Rose could nearly see her ageless features in them. All Rose could hear was the pitter-patter of the rain hitting the pavement, the clicking of her shoes, and the occasional car driving through the steadily growing puddles on the road. Rose pondered on the simplicity of these sounds, wanting to clear her mind of any thoughts of death and loneliness, when she started to feel a strange sensation. All of a sudden, she felt as if the ground was shaking beneath her, and almost tripped mid-step. Her first thought was, 'An earthquake in London? I need to find some shelter!' Rose then looked up to see, not a mass panic, but uninterested people walking and driving as if nothing had happened. And yet, she still felt like she couldn't balance, as if she was riding a motorbike standing up. She found a bench and wobbled over to it, trying to act as casually as she could. Shakily, she sat down, but still felt unsafe. In the back of her mind, she thought she had felt a similar sensation years ago, and tried to trace that memory back. She went back to when she was 28…25…22… still nothing regarding this particular feeling, so it must have happened while she was traveling with the Doctor. 21…20…19… there! The very first time she met the Doctor. She remembered him with big ears and nose and cropped hair and him grabbing her hand, trying to be all intimidating with his "I can feel the turn of the earth" speech before he let go and walked off. She had felt it then, the turn of the earth, and she was feeling it again now… but that meant…

Before she could finish that thought, an immense pain that she had never known before gripped her chest, and she fell to the ground, teeth clenched and not even able to scream. It was burning, oh god, it hurt so much. She grabbed her shirt where the pain was coming from, right above her right breast. Her brain was trying to decipher what was happening and how to stop the pain, and her body just writhed on the ground. It was extremely difficult to focus with the white-hot heat that was trying to burn through her chest, but she had a feeling that this was an alien thing, and she better not call for help. She thought of her bond with the Doctor, and sent as much feeling of distress she could though it, hoping he'd be able to feel it. She was still several kilometers away from home, and they couldn't send thoughts through the bond without physical contact, but some emotions were easier to send if they were in close proximity to each other. For a millisecond, Rose thought about what her connection to the fully Time Lord Doctor would be like, if they'd be able to send more to each other, and at greater distances. She quickly reigned her mind back into the situation at hand, as her pain seemed to triple in intensity and now spread throughout her entire body. She arched her back, and a scream was on the verge of releasing, but as quickly as it had begun, it stopped. She slumped back to the ground and her heart sputtered to a stop.

For 3 long seconds, the rain poured mercilessly on her lifeless body, unobserved by any form of life. Then something could be heard in the distance, the _pat pat pat_ of trainers hitting the pavement, and huge gasps of breath. With each second, the sound got louder and an image of the Doctor was visible. When he caught sight of Rose, he breathed out, "no," almost inaudibly. He skidded to a stop beside her and quickly assessed the situation. He checked for a pulse, and finding none, proceeded with CPR. Not letting himself panic, lest he hurt her, he started compressions. 1, 2, 3, 4,… he counted while he tried to figure out what could have happened to cause this. There didn't appear to be any noticeable wounds on her person. He pinched her nose and gave a huge breath of air into her lungs, before proceeded with the compressions. His mind continued to spin with the adrenaline he was working off of. When he felt her pain and panic through their bond, he immediately took off running. He didn't even think he shut the door behind him. And when he saw her body lying there… He gave her another puff of air. Why wasn't this working?! A stray thought went passed his mind, and he decided to assess it further. It could be possible… He didn't let another second pass as he changed tactics. Lord, he hoped her brain had enough oxygen. She must have been like this for at least 15 seconds before he got to her, practically speaking, closer the 30. Her mind wouldn't be able to survive if she didn't get any air soon. After he finished pumping over her heart, he moved to the other side and started again. If she had somehow grown a second heart… Better safe than sorry, the Doctor told himself. At 15, he gave her another breath, and with his mouth still on hers, she gave a jolt and began coughing. He immediately released her so she could breathe, and she took in huge gulps of air, wheezing as she did. The rain continued to pour on top of them, and they were both completely drenched, even though neither of them noticed.

When Rose evened out her breath, she started to assess herself. She remembered the pain in her chest, and instinctually raised her right hand and rested it over the spot. Startled by what she felt, she jumped and tore her hand away, a loud gasp escaping her lips. Tentatively, she lowered her hand back over where her now second heart thudded in her chest. She lifted her other hand and placed that on her original heart and was amazed by what she felt. Double heartbeats, exactly the same as the Doctor's. Well, the Time Lord one, Rose amended. Then she remembered her Doctor was there and looked at him. He had a look she couldn't decipher on his face, and was sitting on his heels, hands on his knees. He was soaked to the bone, and still breathing heavily. Worried for her husband, Rose started to rise from her position, which stirred the Doctor into action. He helped her stand up, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She then made the next move and buried her head in his chest. This had been an exhausting day for her, and Rose even felt a bit drained. The Doctor wrapped his second arm around his wife, and she snuggled closer to him. After a few seconds, however, she noticed a few shivers the Doctor was trying (but failing) to suppress, and extracted herself from the hug, but kept a strong hold on his hand. Without exchanging a single word, they conveyed everything they felt to each other through their bond and through their eyes. Simultaneously, the couple turned around and headed home.

* * *

"So, I'm a proper Time Lord now? I've got the two hearts, respiratory bypass system, extremely clever," she winked, "Now all that's left is regeneration, but I'd been perfectly fine not testing that out, ta," Rose told the Doctor with a smirk. The Doctor just shook his head as he pulled out the needle in her arm and pulled off anything still attached to her after his thorough examination of her.

"According to all of my scans, you are 100%, pure-blooded, Gallifreyan Time Lady," the Doctor responded. "You should be able to regenerate, but there really is only one way to truly know, and I pray that that day won't come for at least a century."

Rose nodded, and a downcast look shadowed her face as she thought of her life a century from now. She immediately thought of her mother, and the grey hair adorning Pete's, and now the Doctor's, heads (albeit Pete didn't really have all that much hair now). She was, without a doubt, another species now, and her new "changes" could prove it.

Apparently, she hadn't just grown a second heart that night. Her entire physiology was different, from not having lungs anymore to having orange-ish colored blood. Her senses were extraordinary, and there was something else, a sixth sense that was hard to describe and had something to do with how she could tell when and where she was at any time. She would have to do lots and lots of training with the Doctor now that she was fully converted. She could also see timelines, just glimpses of possible futures. This change troubled her the most, and she tried not to look whenever she could. Most of the timelines she saw were hers and the Doctor's, as she was around him most of the time. And every time she caught a glimpse, it ended in a grave, and soon. Too soon.

The Doctor noticed the path her thoughts were taking, and he grabbed both of her hands in his and waited until she met his eyes to speak. When she did, he said,

"Rose, we will get through this. You WILL get through this. Yes, it will get harder from here, but you are strong. So strong. Stronger than me. We will figure out your new abilities, and you won't even know they are there! Trust me… it will get better," he encouraged. He gently placed a soft kiss on her brow, causing Rose to adorn a small smile. As they looked into each other's eyes, they knew that without a doubt that a storm was approaching. But who were the Doctor and Rose Tyler, Defenders of the Earth, if they couldn't handle a little rain?

 **A/N: Don't forget to review! How am I doing so far?**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: HUGE thank you to you guys who've reviewed and said such awesome things about my story! I apologize for the drastic shift in mood, as some of you guys weren't prepared for it. It's gotta happen, though, doesn't it? This chapter is different from the others, and I hope my England geography is correct! Read, review, follow, and favorite!**

 **Disclaimer: I own a service bell and an extensive collection of candles, but not DW. Sorry.**

 **Chapter V**

 _6 months, 12 days, and 11 hours later_

"Alright, Williams, how's the crack looking?" Rose announced as she busted into Room Zero. The once empty room was now full of lab tables, machinery, computers, and scientists in white lab coats. Even Rose adorned one. On the once blank, white wall was now a crack. It wasn't really an impressive-looking crack, and to anyone who wasn't really looking (or a Time Lord) they would simply assume it was an ordinary crack in an ordinary wall. That was the farthest thing from the truth, however. The crack appeared 6 years ago at least, since that was when a new technician stumbled upon the room by accident, then mentioned it 3 weeks later. When Rose heard about a crack, she ran like lightning. Ever since, they had begun to set up camp in Room Zero, making sure it didn't pose a threat, and constantly scanning it for any sort of change. For 5 years, nothing happened. Then 3 months ago, there was a signal. There were detectable sound waves coming from the crack. Since the Doctor was there at the time, a poor radiologist lost his glass of water as the Doctor pressed it against the wall and started listening. He murmured under his breath,

"Prisoner Zero has escaped… Prisoner Zero?"

And here they were now. The Doctor and Rose both tried, but were unable to get the crack to open any larger. They had no way of knowing if this crack was leading to just another world, or another universe. They also had no idea who this Prisoner Zero was, although they didn't miss the connection between the names of the prisoner and the room they were currently stationed in. Just a coincidence? Perhaps. But the greater issue was how the message never stopped; it never changed, never ceased, until now. Dr. Jordan Williams, aeronautics specialist, had contacted Rose with this news and she didn't waste any time getting there.

"Well, Dr. Tyler, no physical change has been recorded, the mass is constant, and no matter has been released or absorbed. The only change is the message. It's stopped." Dr. Williams supplied.

"What do you mean, it's stopped?" Rose interrogated.

"Just that, we are no longer picking up any sound wave of any kind from the crack. It's silent,"

Rose took out her sonic and gave the crack a quick scan, from one end to the other, then looked down at it, reading the results.

"You're right, Williams, nothing seems to have change-," Rose looked back up and gasped. The crack was gone, like it had never been there at all. All around her, similar gasps and frantic typing commenced. Rose scanned the wall again and the air around it, while focusing on her Time sense. Now that she was a Time Lady, she could detect anomalies, strange changes or additions (or losses) in the world she was in. And right now she wasn't giving into her panic as she announced to the room,

"The crack isn't gone, it's moved," she said, doing little to suspend the energy in the room. A doctor near her left spoke up,

"So, if it's moved, where is it now? We can't just let someone stumble upon it. Who knows what it can do!" he said emotionally. Others in the crowd started nodding their heads and adding to his point. Needing to quiet this room down, Rose pointed her sonic at a lightbulb, busting it with a loud _crash_ and the room became silent.

"Thank you for you input, Dr. Bailey, but if we could approach this a bit more calmly, that would be greatly appreciated," Rose delivered, effectively putting him in his place. "Now, what we are going to do is find the crack, and with my help, that will be almost effortless. Depending on where the crack has moved to will be a trickier matter, as we will not be able to be as noticeable as we are now. I will elect a select few at that point to monitor the crack undercover, and the rest of you will either stay here in case the crack returns, or return to your previous positions. Are there any questions?" When she got no reply, she continued, "Good. Right then, obviously the Doctor and I will remain on this operation, as will Dr. Williams, Dr. Saunders, Dr. Turner, and Dr. Erikson. I will notify the rest of you what your position will be by the end of the week." And with that, she left the room, off to tell her husband what had just happened.

She stumbled into the Doctor's "office" (but was more like a basement full of lab equipment), and told him what occurred in Room Zero. He agreed that the crack probably moved, but since he wasn't a Time Lord anymore, he had to go by her word. She was still fairly new at her recent Time sense, so he coached her in what to look for and try to feel with her mind. It took her a while, as she could still feel the crack in her mind, it was near impossible to pin-point where it was. Eventually, she narrowed it down to Europe, then the United Kingdom, then Great Britain, then England. At least it didn't travel too far. It would not have been fun flying over to India or some other country and the crack have moved again. The best Rose could do with her untrained Time Lord abilities was somewhere in the southwest part of England, perhaps somewhere in Gloucestershire. But that was good enough for the Doctor, as he kissed her forehead and took off like a bullet, collecting odd gadgets and stuffing them into his seemingly endless pockets. Rose let him know that she had acquired a team of doctors to come with them, and at first the Doctor had muttered something like, "how many Doctor's does it take to scan a crack in a wall?" under his breath, which Rose had decided to ignore, save for a raised eyebrow, but conceded to wait for their party to congregate before they drove off to Gloucestershire.

* * *

3 hours later, with Rose, her husband, and the four other doctors, along with all of their equipment jammed into Rose's Volkswagen, they finally arrived in Gloucestershire county. Rose promptly pulled the car over, then began to focus again. With a stray thought on how this would look to the passengers in the car who didn't know she was an alien, she stepped out of the car, as if getting some fresh air, silently communicating to the Doctor to not follow her. Once outside, she took in a deep breath and let it out, as if that would help her trace the signal to the crack. She did get a lot of things out of that breath, though. Some nitrogen, a pinch of oxygen and carbon dioxide, a noticeable difference in the amount of pollutants in the atmosphere. If she stuck out her tongue, she had no doubt she would taste even more than she smelled, but that wasn't what she was here for. She closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, searching for the anomaly. It was close, only about 20 miles away. She got back in the car and grabbed the Doctor's hand, relaying everything she just discovered, and he replied to her that the crack must be in Leadworth. Of all places, Rose wondered, causing her husband to crack a grin. She then let go of his hand to grasp the wheel as she started the drive towards Leadworth. The Doctor made a show of pulling out a beacon -like machine that spun around and even did the _beep_ ing thing. There was a small screen at the bottom that the Doctor was adamantly pointing at and showing the four doctors in the back what it did and how it could detect the crack's signature. Which it didn't, really, but at least it couldn't boil an egg at 30 paces, since they would be around a lot of hens shortly.

If they hadn't been looking for Leadworth, they would've missed it. The tiny village was just a speck on a map, but there it was anyway. 'Shouldn't be too hard to find the crack here,' thought Rose as she parked the car at the local hospital. She was surprised they even had a hospital. Getting out of the vehicle, she focused again, and she could definitely tell they were close. She looked at the other people she arrived there with to see them engaged in various stretches. 'Guess it wasn't too comfy back there,' Rose thought guiltily. Nothing she could do about it now, she gave the Doctor a look, which prompted him into his favorite activity: talking.

"Alright then, let's see here… according to my- er, Glygonatrometer, the crack is definitely nearby. And it looks as if it's…" he glanced at Rose who tilted her head slightly, "that way," he finished with a flourish and pointed with his entire arm the direction Rose nodded. He then followed his finger with passion, comically strolling that direction. Rose shrugged her shoulders at the other scientists and followed her husband, even though he had no idea where he was going. She wasn't quite sure how SHE knew where she was going, either. She'll have endless things to talk about with the Time Lord Doctor now.

When they started to exit the civilized part of Leadworth, Rose hurried to catch up with her husband. When she felt the signal start to weaken, she abruptly changed direction. This happened numerous times, leaving the Doctor to give a hurried excuse over the mechanics of his "Glycona-" whatever he called it. Finally, she spotted a large, three story house that surely held the crack. Giving the Doctor a nod, she hurried off to the house. Once she reached it, she spotted a stray couple of toys in the yard and a swingset, the only signs that a child could live here. It was a rather spooky, old house, and Rose could never imagine living there, especially as a child. She quickly came up with a cover story in case anyone was home, shared it with the rest of her party, and walked up to the front door. Giving it three loud knocks, she waited for any sign that someone was coming. Seeing as it was midday on a Tuesday, she didn't expect anyone to be home, so she tried the door. Unlocked. She slowly opened the door and took in the darkness of the interior. Taking a step inside, she searched for a light switch and flipped it on. When she could see no immediate danger, she gestured for the rest of them to come in and took in her surroundings. The place was old, dust covering every surface, and furniture from the early 90's decorating the living room and kitchen. No one seemed to have lived here for quite some time, and the home remained untouched. Seeing no cracks that looked like hers, Rose went up the stairs, followed by the rest of her crew. She discovered a hallway with many rooms on the floor, and told everyone to split up to cover more ground. Rose checked in her room, and before she had time to leave, she heard the voice of Dr. Williams shouting, "In here!" Rose hurried out of her room and had her gun in her hand, searching for anyone besides Torchwood personnel who could have heard his outburst. Sensing no one, she relaxed and made her way to the room Dr. Williams was in. It was a room that was definitely occupied at one time, as the bed was unmade, loose articles were left on the floor, if it wasn't for the empty closet, Rose would have guessed that whoever had lived here had died or disappeared. Letting that rest in the back of her mind, she looked to where the rest of her party was looking- the crack. It was behind the vanity that was pressed against the wall, but it was still there.

"Gotcha," Rose said under her breath.

"Do you want us to move the vanity, Dr. Tyler?" Dr. Erikson offered.

"Go ahead," she replied. She scanned the crack as they were moving the vanity with her sonic, the Doctor not far behind. Almost everything seemed to be in order, except there was an almost miniscule release of time energy flowing out of the crack. Intrigued, Rose scanned it again, but this time, the crack opened slightly, causing the time energy to be visible to the naked eye. It was gold and one might liken it to fairy dust, but Rose knew better. Alarmed, she jumped back, yelling to her comrades,

"Get back! Don't touch it! We don't know what it can do," The scientists seemed wary of it, but also couldn't take their eyes away. Looking at her scans, Rose murmured,

"It's two parts of space and time that should never have touched. If you knocked down the wall the crack would still be here… oh, how stupid am I?!" Rose ended very audibly. She never should have scanned it once, let alone twice! The effects could be cataclysmic. She walked towards her husband and spoke in hushed tones. Unbeknownst to anyone, Dr. Turner walked towards the crack as if in a daze, allowing the glow to draw him in. This mission just got a whole lot harder, and they both knew it. Pulling away from the Doctor, she looked up to see 3 out of the 4 scientists she arrived here with. Confused as she didn't see anyone leave she asked the men setting up equipment,

"Where's Dr. Turner?"

The three doctors looked at each other, then Dr. Williams answered,

"I'm sorry, Ma'am? Dr. who?"

Rose was dumbfounded. "Dr. Turner. Where is he? He was just here,"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Tyler, we don't know anyone by that name. It's always been just the five of us," Dr. Erikson responded. With eyes wide as saucers she pressed again,

"None of you touched the crack, right? I told you not to touch it!"

"And we didn't, ma'am," Dr. Williams replied again, "Are you feeling alright, doctor?"

Rose turned to her husband who had the same expression of disbelief on his face.

"You're telling me that it's always been you three, Rose, and I on this trip? No one else?" the Doctor questioned, his eyebrows fusing together.

"Yes, sir" Dr. Williams responded.

Frightened, Rose said, "Pack up, we're leaving," as she took another glance at the crack. The golden wisps appeared to be getting closer to them. "Quickly, now!"

Confused but never ones to deny an order, the scientists packed away their equipment and scurried out of the room.

Rose knew she couldn't leave the crack like this, but didn't know what to do with it. What if she just made it bigger? What if she got lost and forgotten, too? She turned to the Doctor and asked,

"What do we do?"

"We close it," the Doctor replied.

"How?"

"Well, if I'm brilliant, and I am, we can open it wide enough, inverting the forces… ah, ha!" the Doctor answered as he pointed the sonic at it. The crack opened wider than she had ever seen it, then as quickly as he had opened it, it snapped shut, leaving a blank wall.

* * *

The ride back to Torchwood was tense and the three doctors in the back of the vehicle couldn't shake the feeling that they had been a lot more uncomfortable the first time they got in the car.

* * *

"What, now? Admit it, we are in way over our heads with this one. We are dealing with something immeasurably dangerous, and we already have a casualty, even if no one remembers! I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe this operation needs to be terminated," Rose declared as she paced a hole into the floor in her office. She couldn't find a place to put her hands throughout this speech, traveling from her hair, to her face, to frantically waving about in the air. The Doctor was leaning against the door, arms crossed over his chest.

"It isn't like you to give up this quickly," He commented from his position.

Rose turned to him, exasperated, "Well, I haven't dealt with anything on this scale before, even the dimension cannon was safer. This? We have no control over this," her voice went higher with each word she spoke. "Not even his family remembers him, Doctor. It's like he never even existed. So, I'm sorry if I'm not being the ideal Time Lord or something by not throwing myself head-first into po…poten…potential…" Rose trailed off, her mind a million miles away. The Doctor furrowed his brows, watching her transformation from fearful to dazed to getting that clever spark in her eye that was so…her. He knew this conversation was about to take a huge turn. Trying to catch his mind up to hers, he thought about the last thing she said.

After a moment, Rose spoke slowly but gained speed as she spoke, "If you moved the wall, the crack would still be there, yes, I already knew that, but when the crack moved, it didn't move to Leadworth. No, the crack in Leadworth was _another_ crack, capable of erasing people from time, but not the effects they had in their lifetime. You see, Dr. Turner's children are still alive, and all that he contributed to Torchwood hasn't changed, only their memories have changed, except mine and yours," Rose was getting excited now and the Doctor knew where her train of thought was as he gave her a grin. "And I'll bet my life that Pete will remember him, too, you know why? Because he's traveled in time, and Dr. Turner hasn't had any effect on his personal timeline. Oh, yes, I'm going now, and just you try and stop me!" Rose finished directly in front of her husband, her eyes wide and a smug grin on her face. The Doctor matched her grin and stepped away from the door so he could open it for her. She dashed out of her office then, but not before the Doctor had a chance to plant a firm kiss on her temple.

* * *

That night, Rose sat up in bed working on her report from her impromptu trip to Leadworth. Pete had been beside himself when he heard the news about Dr. Turner, and almost terminated the project himself, but conceded that the cracks were too dangerous to be left alone, so allowed Rose to remain in charge of the project, but not without a harsh scolding and extra paperwork to fill out. She sighed at the report, feeling immensely guilty at causing a man's death. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't've been there in the first place, and he would be home with his family right now. Now he was gone, seemingly forever. She was tempted to take the guilt and hide it away in the dark recesses of her mind, knowing she was capable of it, but then she thought of the Doctor and what hiding all his pain away had done to him. She didn't want to still be dealing with this 500 years from now, so she let herself feel all the pain of that day, even letting a couple of tears leak through. She quickly gathered her report before it could get wet form her tears and set it on her bedside table, and shut off the lamp as well.

As she let her eyes adjust to the darkness, she felt the Doctor shift beside her and wrap an arm around her waist. Well, now how was she gonna lay down? She peeked at her husband's sleeping face, letting a small smile grace her lips. She took a glance at their timeline, and gasped as the clock seemed to be going faster. Only 5 years now. Seeing as she was already in an emotional mood, the tears didn't even ask for release when they fell freely from her cheeks. Struggling to hold herself together and not wake her husband, she stifled the sob with her hand, taking deep breaths through her nostrils. Despite her efforts, however, the Doctor groaned and rolled over, murmuring,

"Rose? Rose, are you alright?"

Swallowing, Rose responded in a whisper, "I'm fine, lo-," but choked on the last word. Sensing her obvious distress, the Doctor sat up all the way and opened his eyes, taking in his wife's tear-stricken face. Through their bond, the Doctor could feel how awfully she was holding herself together and wasted no time in gathering her up into his arms. She went willingly, gritting her teeth lest she sob all over his distinctly dry sleep shirt. Then he did something unexpected. He continued to lift her into his lap, cradling her like a baby, and rocked her back and forth, stroking her hair and singing a lullaby in a low, comforting voice. She could tell it was Gallifreyan, because she couldn't understand any of the words, but she succumbed to their effect. The tears came in earnest, and she twisted herself so her face was buried in his chest. He only held her more securely to his body, continuing the rocking movement and never stopping his song. When the tears finally stopped, the Doctor looked down to see his beautiful wife sound asleep against him and placed a kiss on her hair. Now that she was asleep, he let a tear of his own leak through and fall on her golden locks. Seeing her so upset was torture to him, and even worse that he knew the reason. He knew he was approaching the end of his timeline, and as much as he knew Rose tried not to look, he was all too aware of how tempting just a glance can be. He must not have much time, then. He didn't fear for himself, he had lived quite a long life, after all, but his life with Rose was coming to an end and he couldn't help the feeling of the universe robbing him of so much time. What happened to the growing old bit?! He did see a couple of grey hairs peeking through, but that was nothing compared to a full life. 70, 80 years at least! He wasn't even going to get 10. Sniffing, he murmured his apologies to his sleeping Rose for leaving her alone for however long until she travels through the void one last time. Adjusting his grip on her, he scooted further into the bed so he could lay down, and he never loosened his grip while they slept the entire night together, safe in each other's arms.

 **A/N: I'll admit it, I shed a few tears writing this. I've let myself become too attached to these characters. Don't forget to review!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own not Doctor Who nor the TARDIS. But if I did...**

 **Chapter VI**

 _3 months, 8 days, and 10 hours later_

Rose's wide eyes only got wider as she looked at the diagrams the Doctor was shoving her way. "It's really easy, Rose," he had said, and "They're only circles!", and "We haven't even gotten to Old High Gallifreyan!", but that was doing nothing to ease her confusion. As a Time Lady, she thought learning Gallifreyan would be easy, but she supposed the Time Lords liked to give themselves a bit of a challenge, why wouldn't they? But she reigned in her comments due to the fact that only 2 known people in existence knew this language (those people being the Doctor and… the Doctor) and she knew her husband only wanted to keep his culture alive.

She looked back down at the sheets and picked one up, different circular patterns adorning the page. Some had mostly circles inside bigger circles, others had circles and lines stretching across the entire symbol. There were dots and dashes, thin and thick lines, and it was all a round, complicated mess to Rose. With a grimace, she glanced back up at the Doctor and asked, "So, where do I start?"

The Doctor regained some of his manic energy at her question, and launched himself around the table, pointing,

"This here is a word, which is made up of these letters, see?" the Doctor said, pointing at a smaller circle inside a bigger circle, containing other small circles. "You start here, then move counterclockwise to read the sentence. This here," he pointed at a chart with circles, dots, and dashes assigned to different letters, "is the chart on how letters are formed. So, this word here, at the bottom, spells, 'bow'."

Rose followed his frantically moving finger and started to understand a little of what he was talking about. Each word was comprised of different circular letters, placed aesthetically throughout the circle, and was read counterclockwise, like sentences. Once she started to nod, the Doctor continued, "After that, you move here," the Doctor pointed to the circle in the 3 o'clock position, "And read the word the same way as the first. This one reads, 'ties'." The Doctor quirked his brow briefly, but continued,

"Here in the 12 o'clock position, you read the word the exact same way. How about you try, Rose? This one's easy," he said as he shifted the page towards her. Rose rolled her eyes inwardly at his words, slightly ticked at him feeling the need to give her an easy one, but was almost immediately grateful as she tried to match the symbols to letters, and make them fit inside the circle to make sense. This word seemed to have… 3 letters? Yes, that was right. But she didn't know where to begin. Sensing her struggle, the Doctor offered,

"It starts with a vowel."

With that help, Rose was able to spell the word. "Are?"

Elated, the Doctor jumped at her answer. "That's correct! Wonderful, Rose! Absolutely brilliant! I knew you had this in the bag, that's just wizard!" he ended in a grimace as a bit of Donna snuck out. Rose chuckled at the slip and the look on her husband's face, pleased that she'd gotten the correct answer. He shook himself off and proceeded with the lesson as he pointed again,

"So, that just leaves one more word. It starts with a consonant, so that's no trouble, but there are two vowels back-to-back. Can you figure out which ones?" the Doctor asked, giving her a small smile.

Rose took the page back and tried to figure out the word. It started with a 'K' sound, and saw an 'O', and concluded that the other, free-floating circle was another 'O', which left only an 'L' at the end.

"Cool?" Rose asked, semi-confident. She expected an ancient Time Lord language not to include a word like "cool", as it seemed very Earth-like to her. But judging by the Doctor's once again excited look, she was correct.

"Perfectamundo, Rose Tyler! You're catching on quite well. So, the sentence reads, 'bow ties… are… cool," he finished with less excitement and more confusion, and a bit of disgust in his voice. "What? Where did this sentence come from? Bow ties most certainly _aren't_ cool, if I have any say about it!" The Doctor appeared outright repulsed at the page he was holding and shoved it in a random stack away from him.

Rose could hardly contain her mirth. "This coming from a guy that used to wear a vegetable on his lapel? And nevermind past regenerations, I'm sure some people would have something to say against trainers with a pinstriped suit," she taunted with a sly grin on her face, watching her husband's face morph from disgust to disbelief.

"Are you saying you don't like my fashion sense?! All these years, Rose Tyler, and you've been mocking me behind my back, haven't you? 'Oh, there goes the Doctor, alien as ever, as he saves the world in his plimsolls'. You have, haven't you?!"

Rose couldn't stop her beaming smile from breaking out across her face. His vanity! It was hilarious! Her bubbling laugh poured out without restraint, and before she knew it, she was doubled over, wiping tears from her eyes. Although still slightly offended, the Doctor couldn't help laughing along with her, as he was only partially serious and her laugh was contagious.

Finally regaining her breath, Rose gasped out, "But do you know what I find truly impressive? You, saving the world, and not tripping on that ridiculous scarf while you were at it!" Rose barely had time to escape as the Doctor lunged at her, shouting,

"Oh, that's it, Rose Tyler!" and they proceeded to run around their basement like teenagers.

Rose quickly dashed just out of his reach, darting behind a table, ducking under heavy equipment, and taking sharp turns wherever she could. She quickly realized that her reflexes were quicker than the Doctor's, and she wouldn't run out of breath, making her the clear winner. She was tempted to take her victory as this would be the first time she would win one of these "cat-and-mouse" chases, but there was something about being caught that was so… rewarding. There was also the issue of the Doctor's pride that would be wounded if he couldn't catch her, so there really was no more argument, was there?

Rose thought all of this over within a second, and as the next one passed, she made a bad turn, putting her in a corner with no escape. She whirled towards her husband, gleeful smile still on her face, and she watched as he cornered her in, panting heavily and trailing his eyes over her entire body. Rose let out a breathy chuckle and backed up until her bum hit the wall, and the Doctor placed his hands on the wall, framing her head and caging her in. His warm breath ghosted her face and she found herself getting heavily aroused, the look in his eyes doing her no favors.

Needless to say, the two were quite busy for the next 2 hours, and never did make it upstairs. The Doctor never found out if she was joking about his fashion sense or not.

* * *

Rose crawled out of bed that night, getting enough sleep to last her the day (1 hour) and tip-toed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her with an inaudible _click_. Relieved that she hadn't woken her still slumbering husband, she looked at herself in the mirror, as she prepared herself for another day. Her hair was the longest it had ever been, just brushing her bum. She had stopped dying her hair a few months after she found out she was a Time Lady. She remembered her conversation with the Doctor in that very room all those years ago…

 _Rose was staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, something she had a feeling would become a daily ritual from then on out. She glanced up at her dark roots and thought about giving her hair a touch-up, when the thought came to her- why keep dying it? Why waste all that time and money if she was just gonna live forever? Might as well let it grow out._

 _After coming to that decision, she finalized it by tossing the remainder of her hair dye in the bin and started brushing her teeth. Halfway through, the Doctor walked in, gave her a lazy grin and kissed her cheek as he passed, reaching for his toothbrush. As he was putting the toothpaste on his toothbrush, he caught a glance at the new item in the garbage. Confused, he reached down and retrieved it, giving his wife a strange look._

 _"_ _Why'd you throw this away? Don't you need it to keep your hair… you know… blonde?"_

 _Rose finished brushing and spat in the sink, giving him a nod. "Yes, I would need it for keeping my hair blonde, and that's the reason I'm throwing it out."_

 _Still confused, the Doctor asked, "What? Why?"_

 _"_ _Well, I might as well start accepting my brown hair as it's the hair that's gonna be with me throughout eternity or however long I'm living. Don't really want to know what kind of damage my hair will undergo if I'm still dyin' it a hundred years from now," she replied with a shoulder shrug. Glancing at the troubled look on his face, she added, "I hope it's not too big of a change for you… I'm still me, blonde or not."_

 _Standing straighter, the Doctor responded, "Well of course you are, Rose Tyler. I was just thinking…" he trailed off._

 _"_ _Thinking what?" Rose questioned, nervous at his tone._

 _"_ _Weeellll… I had so many blonde jokes I hadn't tried out on you yet, so I'm upset that I won't be able to use-"_

 _Rose cut him off as she gave him a shove and began laughing, relieved he had been joking but a bit offended at his blonde joke collection. "Doctor! That's not funny!" she said, stifling a laugh._

 _"_ _Oh, Rose Tyler," the Doctor drew out as he made his way passed her out of the bathroom, "You don't know what funny is until you've heard the rest of my 117 blonde jokes." Then he left the room with a spin on his heel, leaving his wife gaping like a fish._

Rose toyed with a lock of her hair as she returned from memory lane. She realized with a soft smile that she had done what the Doctor had always wanted for her. Lived a good life. It wasn't the most amount of time she could've gotten, but it could have been much worse. She was happy. She was around aliens, her family, and her Doctor, and she sent a 'thank you' towards the ceiling, directing it to the Doctor a universe or two away. Again, she was swamped with thoughts of him, how he would react when he saw her, if he would like that changes, if he had regenerated, if he had new companions, on and on and on. Ever since the Leadworth incident, Rose had progressed with extreme caution, much to the bafflement of her employees. For all they knew, this crack was harmless. But Rose and the Doctor weren't taking any more chances when lives were at stake. Some progress had been made, in particular, the discovery of more and more cracks, with one being the same kind as the one that erased Dr. Turner from existence, but most of them were wormholes. Where they led, there was no way of knowing, but Rose had never felt closer to her home universe than now. Her TARDIS was coming along nicely as well, only a few more decades and she was home free.

Thinking of her TARDIS, Rose finished her business in the bathroom, but gave her face one last once-over. She noticed it a week ago. A wrinkle. The Doctor said it was normal and not to worry, but Rose was far from sad. She loved her wrinkle. As much as she appreciated all the changes her body has gone through, it was comforting to see a slice of humanity that remained on her face. It helped her keep the same humanity in her soul.

* * *

Things progressed slowly but also far too quickly after that. The years ticked by, one after another, until Rose knew that her time with her husband was over. He had taught her almost everything he knew by that time, seemingly as if he knew as well that his song was ending. On his death bed, 8 days before she knew would be his last, Rose laid beside him, curled up in a ball against his side, as he remained in his restless sleep. The tears never stopped. She didn't know when they began, as if they'd always just been there. She felt like she was drowning. Slowly, she uncurled herself, gazing at his worn face, adorned with wrinkles and a bit of grey facial hair, and she let her hand caress his cheek. Softly, she started to sing the Gallifreyan lullaby that he had sang to her those years ago, and Rose let the memory engulf her being. The feeling of his strong arms protecting her, and his melodious voice singing her to sleep, leaving her with a peace only he could provide. She hoped she was providing the same for him. As she reached the end of her song, the Doctor's eyes cracked open and gazed into her red, swollen ones. Softly, and almost inaudibly, he spoke,

"Rose…Tyler…" he swallowed, "I love you…with ever…everything," he choked out. Rose shushed him and placed her fingertips on his lips, then pressed their foreheads together, sending him every ounce of love and devotion she could muster his way. She felt the same return to her and was left breathless and a couple more tears leaked from her eyes. When she opened them again, he was asleep once more. She wished that she had known that those would be his last coherent words to her, as she stood over his grave, adorned in all black. She didn't say a word at his wake or funeral, not finding a single word in English or any language anyone else may possibly understand that fit what he meant to her. That, and the fact that she felt like her mind was dying due to the lack of his presence. She had never felt so alone. Pete said enough for the both of them, and Tony as well. She sent a tiny smile his way when he spoke of how much of an influence the Doctor had on his life. He wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him.

Rose was the first to leave his funeral, wanting to mourn his memory in privacy, and also desperately needed some telepathic comfort through her TARDIS. She took a glance at her future, and felt a smile ghosting her face at the sight of it. She would be alright. The pain would never fully disappear, but she would be happy again, happier than she ever had been. She walked home, day dreaming of the future adventures she would have with her Doctor, and tucked her pain away, at least for the next few minutes.

* * *

 _Flashforward, Date: Unknown_

 _The TARDIS shook like never before, her pilot tripping and falling, trying desperately to grasp at the controls. The changes were different, but now was not the time for that. The TARDIS was crashing, for Pete's sake! Ah, Pete. NO, focus! The pressing of buttons and spinning of dials seemed to have no impact on the plummeting ship, and the options were running out. What to do, what to do… why can't I remember! Another shake, and her pilot was almost sent crashing on the floor. A rather inappropriate, giddy laugh was sent echoing throughout the ship, and one word marked the start of a brand-new life,_

 _"_ _GERONIMO!"_

* * *

 _38 years later, Pete's World_

Rose lugged the last bag she packed into her TARDIS, then shut off all the lights in her house. She considered moving into an apartment hundreds of times since her husband's death, the house seemingly too big and full of memories, but that house marked her life with her husband, and she couldn't easily give that up. That, and her basement, which was once full to the brim of lab equipment, now empty, save for her fully-grown TARDIS. She just had one last stop to make before she took the journey that would change her life forever. She placed the keys on the kitchen counter, and gazed around the living room one final time, then went downstairs, closing the door behind her.

When she walked into her new home, she received a feeling of welcoming and a short hum was emitted from the TARDIS. Rose sent a sincere smile and rubbed the console in response. The desktop wasn't the coral theme that the Doctor's had been, but it appeared to be in a default mode, the room completely consisting of white surfaces. It was smaller than her Doctor's as well, but she guessed that she may upgrade herself in time, or perhaps Rose would have to make the changes herself. In all honesty, she hadn't quite read the manual yet, since her husband taught her how to fly her, but that was years ago, so she gave the heavy book a good scan, and learned everything she needed to know. She wondered briefly where the Doctor kept his manual as she started the dematerialization sequence and gently landed in her destination.

"That was surprisingly easy…and not painful," Rose mused to herself, already brimming with questions and accusations for the Doctor once she saw him again. Granted, she wished there were more people to help her, as she wouldn't have to do as much running around the console, but she didn't mind the running. In fact, she loved the running. Now, though, she would slow down a bit, and say her final goodbye to those loved and lost in this world she barely called home. Grabbing the three modified bouquets, she clutched them to her chest, careful not to crush them. She picked up her new sonic and pocketed it, and made her way to the door. 15 minutes later, she was busting right back through those doors, manic grin on her face. As she bounded up to the console, she locked onto the crack that she had identified as the one that would bring her to her home universe, and went through a sequence that had her dashing around the console at break-neck speed, fingers flying and feet holing levers in place. This was the beginning. Her unbridled laughter seemed to fill every crevice in her space-and-time ship, and she couldn't remember the last time she was so elated. Her TARDIS shook like a blender, and Rose read the screens before her.

"Looks like you need a bit more welly, so I'll have to delete some rooms. Goodbye, swimming pool, galley, and media room!" she shouted as the TARDIS continued to shake. Rose typed in codes and flipped switches trying to keep her ship from tearing apart. "I know, sweetheart, we're almost there. Steady, now!" Rose caught sight of her favorite piece on the console, one that made her ship her own: a 17th-century style pirate ship wheel. Grasping it with both hands, she gave in a huge spin and sent a 'whoop!' into the ceiling. After a couple more spins, she finally landed, and a crash-landing, no doubt. Fortunately, she stayed right-side up, so Rose put the grappling hook she had prepared away, and panted for a few seconds, taking in the smoke and steam filtering out of the room.

"We made it," she said under her breath, then more strongly, she added, "We made it! We're here! Oh my god we actually did it! Not that I doubted you for a moment, dear."

She dashed over to the screen/monitor to look at her surroundings, to see where and when she was. She couldn't believe how lucky she was. She was in the Solar System, on planet Earth, in England, Leadworth! She picked up her jaw that landed on the floor and stared wide-eyed at the doors of her TARDIS. The Doctor could be right outside those doors. She gave a quick scan of the area and picked up on residual TARDIS energy, meaning he _had_ been here, but must have just left. Rose let out a breathy chuckle. That's always how it was with her, wasn't it? Barely missing the Doctor in her never-ending search for him. Well, this time, she was going to catch him, no doubt about that.

Her curiosity peaked again, and she let a beaming smile grace her face as she bolted to the door. Whipping it open, she peeked around it and took in her surroundings. It was the same house that she had visited all those years ago in Pete's World. Getting over the shock of seeing it again, she noticed similarities and differences, one big one being the little girl, sitting on a suitcase and looking up into the night sky. She couldn't have been more than 7, if Rose had to guess. And if the Doctor had just been here… 'He must've promised her a trip' Rose thought to herself. She also realized that she must have materialized at the exact same time as he dematerialized, or else she would've captured the girl's attention. She glanced around where she landed, right in front of a pile of rubble… wait, did that used to be a shed? Then she looked at her TARDIS, and almost jumped. It looked exactly like a tree and blended in perfectly with the nearby vegetation. Getting over her growing excitement, she turned her attention back to the scene in front of her. Giving the girl a sad smile, Rose walked up to her cautiously, as to not scare the girl. When she was still a few paces away, she said,

"Hello,"

The girl jumped where she was sitting and whipped her head to the unexpected visitor. She looked startled and asked,

"Who are you? Where did you come from? Are you with the raggedy man?"

Rose picked up that the girl was distinctly Scottish, and filed that interesting bit of information in the back of her mind as she responded,

"My name is Rose. What's yours?"

"Amelia Pond," she replied.

"Lovely name. So, who's this 'raggedy man' friend of yours?" she asked subtly.

"He fixed the crack in my wall," she responded without missing a beat.

"There's a crack in your wall?" Rose asked, concerned.

"Well, not anymore, since he fixed it," Amelia answered, as if the answer was obvious.

"Of course," Rose replied, "Mind if I join you?"

Amelia shook her head and scooted over on the small case, but Rose just smiled and sat on the cold grass beside her. She tilted her head up to the sky, mirroring the little girl, and thought back to a simpler time, when she would wander the streets of London at night, and sometimes just stare at the night sky. She could she them much more clearly here. Taking a breath, Rose got herself to ask the girl,

"The 'raggedy man' you were talking about? He didn't by chance call himself 'The Doctor', did he?"

Amelia turned her head to Rose, eyes wide and mouth parted slightly, doing well for a child at containing her emotions, thought Rose. She asked, "Do you know him?"

Rose sighed. "I used to. A very, very long time ago. So long ago, I don't know what he looks like anymore. Tell me, Amelia, what does he look like?"

Amelia seemed amused, "How can you forget? Here, I'll draw you a picture." And with that, she jumped up off her suitcase, and rushed back into her house, followed by a slightly started Rose. She quickly followed the bouncing red hair into the house that hosted many of her nightmares in years passed. Strangely, there wasn't much different, save for the fact that the old furniture was newer in this universe, which made sense, because she landed in 1996, making this furniture more appropriate. But that didn't explain the perpetual darkness, making the house seem old and abandoned. Her eye caught sight of the kitchen, and her eyebrows hit her hairline.

"What happened here?" she stopped Amelia's pursuit. The room had seen cleaner days. Bits of…well, everything was covering almost every surface, pots and pans sat in the sink, and the refrigerator light was streaming out of the open door, revealing a fairly empty refrigerator.

"Oh, the raggedy man didn't know what he wanted to eat, so I made him almost everything in my entire kitchen. And you'll never believe what he ended up liking!"

"What?" Rose asked, not taking her eyes from the destroyed room. The Doctor definitely liked to leave a trail behind him.

"Fish fingers and custard!"

"Gross," Rose made a face and Amelia grinned.

"It's not too bad, I guess," she shrugged.

A thought hit Rose, and she almost smacked herself for being so slow on the uptake, cringing at the last time she had felt that way, and asked the young girl,

"You sure do let a lot of strangers into your home. Where are your parents?"

Amelia looked down at her shoes and responded, "I don't have parents, just an aunt,"

"Well, where's your aunt? You can't be here by yourself,"

"Yes, I can," she retorted, meeting her eyes. "I'm old enough!"

Rose sighed and put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow. She didn't have much experience with children, but this one seemed different. There were things that just felt…wrong about her life, and Rose could wager what caused it. Regarding her for a second longer, Rose changed pace.

"You said your room was…this way?" she asked, pointing at the stairs.

Amelia's face instantly cleared and she regained her previous excitement, saying, "Yes, just upstairs. My coloring pencils are up there as well, so I better draw the raggedy man quick before I forget him," she immediately cut herself off, as if she said something she shouldn't have. Rose decided not to push it and just let herself be dragged up the stairs.

The house was identical in every respect, and Rose knew it before she saw it where Amelia's room would be. Sure enough, the room that haunted her dreams, memories of Dr. Turner and the glowing crack flooded her eyesight, before she blinked to clear it. She couldn't lose it here, not now, not when she was so close. It appeared that the Doctor had done what the girl said he'd done, the crack was gone.

"See? No crack!" Amelia pointed out.

"Yes," Rose murmured. Amelia was already sitting at her desk, sketching on a piece of notebook paper with her back hunched over and her red hair brushing the paper, making it impossible for Rose to catch a glimpse at her drawing. Rose thought about making small talk while she waited, but didn't want to distract the girl, so she familiarized herself with the room a bit, taking in every noticeable, and not noticeable, detail. Things like picture frames, but no pictures, no other chairs to sit on besides her desk chair, and a fine layer of dust coating almost every surface. The room seemed lonely, Rose noted, and didn't seemed to carry a lot of memories. If she ever had kids, she may have been able to pick up on more details about the room, things that were missing that only a parent could provide… she'd have to ask the Doctor when she found him. Which reminded her,

"How's your sketch coming along, Ms. Pond?"

"Almost…finished…aaaaand, done!" she exclaimed, holding it away from her, arms outstretched. She then turned it so Rose could see, who was trying her hardest not to breathe over her shoulder, and Rose took it all in. Granted, it was a child's drawing, but one thing was remarkably clear- he had regenerated. And Rose realized why Amelia called him "raggedy" now, it appeared he had _just_ regenerated, making his previous attire a shredded mess. She hadn't remembered that about his last regeneration, which made her a bit worried about him, but she would ponder on that later. She couldn't quite tell from the simplicity of the picture, but he appeared even younger than his last regeneration, which was saying something. Her eyes tried to absorb every detail in the basic sketch, her fingertips going as far as grazing the picture. Taking a deep breath, she snapped herself out of it and straightened up, giving Amelia a bit of a smile.

Amelia took the picture away and asked, "So, you know him? You know the Doctor? He said he was coming back for me. He said he had to go to the moon first. And he had a swimming pool in the library… he said lots of strange things. Do you think he was lying?"

Rose looked into the unabashedly hopeful look in the child's eyes and grit her teeth, cursing the Doctor for doing this to a child. "I think he meant it when he said it, dear, but sometimes… things happen and the Doctor can't keep his promises like he wants to. One time, he thought he was bringing me home twelve hours later when it was actually twelve months! He can be a pretty bad driver," she rambled.

Amelia looked up at her, and if she was confused she didn't show it. She mainly looked disappointed. "He's just like every other grown-up. They always lie," she said dejectedly, putting her head down.

Thinking quickly, Rose asked, "How would you like to see something amazing?" Amelia raised her head and quirked an eyebrow, "You see, I have this…ship. It's just like the Doctor's. How would you like to go on a quick trip while the Doctor's on his?"

Amelia's face lit up, "You have a police box like the Doctor's?"

Rose chuckled, "Not exactly. See, it's not a police box. The police box was just a disguise for the real thing inside. Wanna see?" Before she knew what she was doing, Rose was leading Amelia to her TARDIS. Why was she doing this again? Oh, yeah, her darn heart was betraying every logical thought that was trying to stand in her way. This was a bad idea, but Rose didn't see any flashing red lights or warnings, so this wasn't breaking any fixed points in time. The next thing she knew, she was walking up to her TARDIS with a very confused-looking Amelia in tow.

"Where is it?" she asked.

Rose just grinned and drew her key out of her shirt, unlocking the place that would change this child's life forever.

 **A/N: So, now we are getting started! Or, are we almost done? I honestly have no idea how far I will go with this story, all I'm certain about is that I will not be doing ANY series re-writes during this story. Sorry. I just don't have time. Maybe I'll write a sequel on series 5 with Rose, but school is starting soon, and needless to say, I'm aiming for this to be done within the month. Big thanks to all my lovely readers, I love ya!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: So, I think I'm going to write two more chapters after this, and maybe an epilogue, or perhaps leave it open for a sequel. I'm so glad that you guys have enjoyed this story, writing it has been so amazing! I'm definitely going to write more in the future. Shout out to all my beautiful followers, this chapter is for you!**

 **Disclaimer: The usual. I cry because the Doctor isn't mine.**

 **Chapter VII**

Rose opened the door of her TARDIS wide and stepped inside, gesturing for Amelia to follow.

"Brilliant, isn't she?" Rose asked.

Amelia could only gape at the enormous room before her. Only a soft "Woah" escaped her lips.

Rose grinned at Amelia, but her thoughts were going a mile a minute, wondering what she was going to do with this girl, when a beeping emerged from the console. Brows furrowing, Rose darted to the monitor and read the circular symbols shooting past her like rapid fire.

"What's going on?" Amelia asked from the same spot she stopped in.

Rose acted fast. "I'm sorry Amelia but I have to go. I think I've just found the Doctor but I'm not certain, and I don't want you in any sort of trouble. With luck, I'll be back before you can say fish fingers," she said with a wink, ushering the girl out of the trans-dimensional ship.

When they emerged from the ship, Rose saw Amelia's dejected face at being left behind, and before she could say anything, Rose crouched down so their faces were level and she cupped her cheek, wiping them with her thumbs, even though the tears hadn't spilt yet.

"Darling, it's not that I don't want you to come with me, but it could be dangerous, and you have a life here to live. I'll try my very hardest to come back to you, but if I don't, just remember this- whatever happens in life, if you just keep pushing on, and never stop dreaming, you will one day see the stars. I promise," she finished with a smile.

Giving Amelia's cheek one final pat, Rose made her way back into her TARDIS, turning around and saying "goodbye" to Amelia before she closed the doors.

With a sigh, she silently berated herself for giving a child hope then taking it away so suddenly like that. She hoped that Amelia heeded her final words to her, if that was the last time they would speak. The TARDIS gave another beep, then another one, louder this time, so Rose got her wits together and dashed back to the console, reminded that she had a Time Lord to track down. If she found his TARDIS, she could materialize inside his, using a very long and difficult sequence of controls, but she had to lock onto him first, which was proving to be tricky since it appeared that the Old Girl wasn't quite stable at the moment.

Rose typed in more codes and sent a signal out to the Doctor's TARDIS, praying she would pick up on it and let her in, all while trying to manually track her down. It seemed he had gone about… 200,000 years into the future, not too bad, but she could get closer. After going another 5,000 years into the future, she finally locked onto the TARDIS.

Rose muttered, "Gotcha," under her breath, and made her way around the console at lightning speed, needing to complete the sequence before she lost the signal to his TARDIS, and with a final _ding_ on the service bell on her console, everything was quiet. She waited for something, a dematerialization noise, _anything_ , but only silence greeted her. Frustrated, she let out a huff and marched back over to the monitors, seeing that she was still in the future, but that was all the information she got.

"I was _this_ close!" she exclaimed, aggravated, reminding herself of a certain Doctor in their early days. 'Well, might as well see where I landed, _if_ I landed,' she thought to herself, as she made her way to the doors.

When she opened the door, the sight before her took her breath away. It couldn't be… but it was! It was the console room of the TARDIS, _his_ TARDIS! It looked like it had been through hell and back, with gaping holes in the walls and things hanging from the ceiling that shouldn't be. And that meant that the man at the controls could only be…

Rose gasped, drawing his attention to her. When their eyes met, time seemed to stand still. A flurry of emotions flew across his face, ones she could read being shock, disbelief, hurt, joy, anger, and others she couldn't identify. She hadn't the slightest clue of what her face looked like, either, and she was starting to wonder who would say something first.

"Hi," they both said in unison. Rose giggled, which seemed to put the Doctor in a daze.

"So, I made it, but I'm a bit late," she continued.

The Doctor seemed to stammer for a moment, then replied, "Late?"

Rose smiled sadly and pointed out, "You've regenerated. And recently. I didn't want you to be alone." She cut herself off, not really one to have a gob, but she was incredibly nervous for some reason. 'It's only the Doctor,' she berated herself. But she hadn't seen any version of the Doctor in decades, and hadn't seen this one in… she didn't want to think about the years gone by, instead focusing herself back to the conversation she was attempting to have with the man before her.

The Doctor didn't seem to have any grace at all in this regeneration, as he fumbled with his hands, and Rose found it entirely endearing, but tried to focus on his words that he was struggling with forming into coherent sentences. "Yes, then. Right. It's alright, it was worth it. My death, I mean. I would have rather not have been alone, I was rather clingy, wasn't I? But not as clingy as the Barbasoms on Dilipsur. They literally cling to you if you get too close, once I was covered in hundreds of them, but don't ask how, Rose," he cut himself off as he said her name and met her eyes. They were bright and shining and staring at him with such adoration he could hardly handle it. This body didn't seem too fluent in the language of romance, he observed, but Rose was standing in front of him, and there was something he still hadn't said and good luck to whatever stood in his way at that moment because he wasn't stopping now.

"Rose Tyler," he said, striding up to her and cupping her face, still getting used to the new nerve endings, but pleased that they still sparked at their touch. He doubted that would ever go away. "There was something I meant to say to you on that beach and I've regretted it every single day," he began, emotions flooding through him like a raging current. Feelings like happiness and lost love and contentment and understanding. Emotions that he wasn't really feeling, because they weren't his. With wide eyes, he immediately let go of her face, letting his hands hover by the sides of her cheeks, and the feelings stopped. He looked into Rose's eyes and they were filled with an emotion he couldn't read. Slowly, she reached for his hand again and placed it on her cheek, this time sending a telepathic message.

'Yes, I'm a touch telepath now, Doctor. You don't have to hide from me anymore or risk seeing me wither and die. I'd like to show you, if I may,' she said telepathically. The Doctor looked like he was barely keeping his emotions in check, and gave her a shaky nod, then she touched their foreheads together, starting with her horrible headache in Room Zero and ending with her saying goodbye to little Amelia. The feeling of the Doctor's mind and hers together was such an incredible feeling that she would have loved nothing more than to get lost in it forever, but she knew it was only polite to not "overstay your welcome" as her old mate Shareen used to say. She could feel the Doctor's mirth in her mind and realized that he could read all her thoughts while they were telepathically connected, and she was shocked at how she had forgotten that detail and how fluidly their minds worked together. With the other Doctor, it was amazing, but with the full Time Lord… this was what she had been missing.

She felt the Doctor caress her mind, leaving small traces of himself in all corners of her mind, leaving not one place untouched. She realized what he was doing, if it was subconsciously. He was marking her, making her his, and making sure that any other telepath knew that she was spoken for. She would have found it a bit too forward in usual circumstances, but then realized that she didn't know what she was waiting for and had wanted this for 40 years. She quickly (perhaps too quickly) found his mind again and started leaving traces of herself in every corner, every dark spot, like leaving a light wherever she went, so the darkness couldn't consume him. There was much more darkness than she expected, but she carefully and intentionally sent her love and comfort, long since accepting him for who he was, is and ever would be.

Before she was ready, the Doctor withdrew their minds but remained in her arms, tears staining his face. Rose wiped them like she had done Amelia's not too long ago, and placed kisses on both his eyes, cheeks, and forehead. The Doctor then crushed him to her, and she wasn't sure how, even with her fairly impressive Time Lady brain of hers how they ended up curled together in a ball, but she could care less. Her Doctor was holding her again, and that's all that really mattered.

* * *

A little while later, even though she didn't wish to leave the safety of her Doctor's arms, they decided it was time to go back to Leadworth and face the Atraxi and Prisoner Zero, thinking they would have only been gone five minutes. Wary of the Doctor's stabilizing TARDIS, Rose opted to "drive separately", which the Doctor argued with her about, but gave in, knowing he couldn't deny Rose anything. So, she gave him a wink and returned to her TARDIS, which was a strange experience- leaving one TARDIS console room and entering another. She set the coordinates for five minutes after she left, and started to dematerialize. Checking to the monitor to make sure she arrived one time, she grinned at her accurate driving and walked out of the doors to see Amelia standing right where she left her, mouth agape.

"The Doctor will be here shortly, and then we can discuss what exactly that crack of yours was up to before he showed up, alright?"

Amelia was still gaping at Rose, so she added, "I told you I'd come back for you. Isn't she a beauty?" She gestured to the TARDIS, disguised as a tree once more. Amelia nodded her head, jaw still open, then she recovered herself to ask,

"Where did you go? Where's the Raggedy Doctor?"

'Right, I'll have to do something about his clothes,' Rose thought to herself, then answered Amelia, "He just took a quick trip to the future to help his TARDIS stabilize, and he should be here any second now," she looked around the yard, Amelia following her gaze. "Aaaany second…" Rose chewed on her lip, her eyebrows coming together. 'Great,' she thought, 'Just magnificent. Guess I'm on my own for this one.'

Taking a deep breath, she whirled back over to where Amelia was standing and exclaimed, "Right! While the Doctor's on his way, how about I take another look in that room of yours, hm?" She had felt something, something in the corner of her eye…

Amelia led Rose back into the house and into her room, where Rose scanned the wall where the crack used to be. She turned to Amelia and asked her, "The crack said something, didn't it? What did it say?"

"Prisoner Zero has escaped," Amelia replied.

Rose nodded, "Just what I was afraid of." She walked out of the room, looked around, walked back in the room, and back out again. She repeated this a few more times before she settled on staying out of the room with a concentrating look on her face. Sensing she was done walking back and forth, Amelia followed her to where she was standing. Rose then asked her another question, "Amelia, how many rooms are on this floor?"

Amelia looked around, counting, before she replied, "Five,"

"Six," Rose contradicted.

Confused, Amelia asked, "What?"

"Six," Rose repeated, "There are six rooms on this floor. Count them, one, two three, four five, six. Just there, in the corner of your eye. Right where you don't want to look."

Amelia, now a bit scared, tried to look out of the corner of her eye, and then there was a door. A door she had never seen before at the end of the hall. Scared and confused she asked, "How?"

"It's a perception filter, only lets you see what you want to see or aren't willing to accept. Since you're a child, it's easier for you to see it because you'll believe just about anything, but, Amelia, if it doesn't want you to know it's there, it's most likely dangerous, so on no accounts do you enter that room, understand?" She asked with a serious look on her face.

Amelia gulped then nodded vigorously, now scared of the room more than ever. Rose, now convinced that the child's fear will keep her safe, glanced at her wristwatch. She obviously didn't need it, but it used to be her husband's, after he lost his time sense. It had been 20 minutes and still no sign of the Doctor, so Rose decided to return to her TARDIS to see if there was any way to bring the Doctor to her. Since the two TARDIS' were related, Rose didn't think it was impossible. Gesturing to Amelia, Rose made her way out of the ominous house and back to her ship, Scottish girl in tow.

Rose marched inside her TARDIS and began messing around with the controls, trying to get a lock back on his TARDIS again. Her TARDIS seemed to protest by giving a nasty squeal in response, but Rose didn't back down.

"I know sweetheart, it's not easy but we can do this. Together," she comforted her ship, unaware of the little girl watching the scene before her.

Rose gave her pirate ship wheel a good spin, and they were sent lurching, the TARDIS doors slamming shut, making Amelia gasp. Rose was still ignorant of her stray passenger as she shouted, "C'mon, girl, you can do it! Yes! Hold on, no, no, no, NO!" Rose ran around to the other side of the console and flipped about a dozen or so switches before she reached over to twist a knob 3 times, while pressing a button with her left foot. She dropped her foot and dashed back to the monitor, reading the Gallifreyan on the screen.

"That's it, dear, steady now," she rubbed the console. All of a sudden, a phone started ringing somewhere on the console. Rose didn't even know she had a phone, so she cautiously made her way over. Lips pinched, she put the phone to her ear and asked,

"Hello?"

"Rose! You're the one playing tow truck for my TARDIS? If you haven't noticed, I can pilot her just fine on my own!" the voice of the Doctor shouted at her, making her wince and draw the phone back from her face.

"Who's that?" asked Amelia, still gripping a railing from the lurches the TARDIS was causing. Rose's eyebrows shot up at the sight of her and she replied to the Doctor,

"Well, I arrived exactly on time, and you hadn't shown up yet, so who knows when you would've made it! Could've been another decade for all you know, so I'm giving you a lift. You're welcome. Oh, and Amelia says hello," she added, winking at the girl.

"Wait, Amelia's with yo-," he began to ask as Rose placed the phone back in its receiver, cutting him off.

Rose muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like "selfish, ungrateful git" but a smile was forming on her face despite the less than friendly discussion she just had with the Doctor. Amelia would never understand grown-ups.

The TARDIS was starting to shake again, so Amelia found her railing and clung tight to it, faster than Rose's shout of "Hold on!". She shut her eyes tight and tried not to let go, but her fingers were slipping. She could hear Rose running again, and could picture what she looked like in her mind. Before she knew it, however, the shaking stopped and a wheezing sound announced their arrival. With shaky legs, Amelia stood up and looked up to see Rose running towards her.

"Are you alright?" she asked, running her hands over Amelia's hair, cheeks, arms, basically anywhere she could reach. "It's not usually that rough of a flight, but the Doctor's TARDIS was being pretty nippy with me. She didn't really want to come along for some reason. Well, Miss Amelia, I say you are more important and that the Doctor can't just leave you behind, now can he?"

Amelia smiled up at Rose, but didn't reply. Rose grabbed her hand and the two walked out of the TARDIS, back into Amelia's back yard. But there was one more person there, with his police box and raggedy clothes. Amelia was happy to see him, but when she looked up at Rose, the look in her eyes was something she felt like she shouldn't be looking at. It was something special, specifically for the Doctor, and he was looking at her the same way. Amelia didn't mind that they were staring at each other like that, but it was starting to get awkward, so she broke the silence.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor visibly jumped at Amelia's voice, making Rose shake her head in amusement, and turned his attention completely to the child. "Yes! That's me, the Doctor! What else do you want?" he questioned, rudely. Rose made a note to admonish him about that later.

She stepped in for the girl, "The crack, Doctor. You've closed it, but there may be something else," she glanced over to Amelia, not wanting to frighten her too badly, "There is a perception filter in her house. Which can only mean one thing…" she left her statement open, desperately hoping the Doctor would catch on. Thankfully, she saw his eyebrows raise and eye widen and he hurriedly exclaimed,

"She's not alone!" and bolted to the front door before he finished the word. Rose and Amelia raced to catch up, and by the time they made it, he was already scanning the hallway, locating the room with the perception filter. With a finger on his lips, he crept up toward the infamous door and ever so slowly turned the knob, the only sound being the creaks the knob was making against the aging metal. Sonic brandished, the Doctor opened the door slowly, and crept inside. Rose wrapped her arms around Amelia, whose heart was racing against Rose's stomach, but didn't dare make a sound. Rose strained her ears to hear what was going on in the room at the end of the hall, but for each second that ticked by with silence being their only companion, her nerves crept higher and higher. Just when she was about to shout for the Doctor, something banged against a wall, and the Doctor let out an, "A-ha!", which Rose would have found amusing in any other circumstance. Sounds of a struggle could be heard from the room, and Rose thought she heard some kind of hissing noise along with unknown objects breaking or falling.

Unable to bear her place on the sidelines any longer, she knelt down to be eye level with Amelia and told her, "Do not move from this spot. I'm going to help the Doctor now, but don't be afraid. I'll come back," she asserted, making sure Amelia understood and obeyed. With a final nod, Rose got up and swiftly made her way to join the battle the Doctor was fighting. When she glided in the room, her Time Lady eyes adjusted almost instantaneously to the darkness, allowing her to see the Doctor and a strange snake-like creature with more teeth than she'd wish to count in hand-to hand combat (even though the alien didn't have hands, and still appeared to be winning). The Doctor was holding the jaws of the thing away from his face, and knocking into things all around the room. Rose shifted into her many years of Torchwood training, and wrapped her arms around the alien from behind, trying to pry it away from the Doctor. The man in question turned wide eyes to her, but regained his focus on the task on hand, as the creature started to thrash back and forth, and Rose had a feeling that this is what bull-riding might have been like. It was letting out a high-pitched scream as well, and Rose squinted as the sound hit her ears. The Doctor was running around the room, looking for something, obviously, but Rose wasn't sure how much longer she could hold onto the alien. Before long, however, she heard the Doctor shout, "Close your eyes, Rose!" and a brilliant flash of light filled the room, blinding the creature. While Rose was still seeing spots, the Doctor rushed up and did something that made the creature fall limp in Rose's arms. Blinking rapidly to clear her vision, she quickly released her hold and stumbled away from whatever it was, only to fall into the Doctor's arms.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor murmured in her ear.

Panting heavily, Rose responded, "Never better."

The two made their way back to Amelia, who was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest, eyes like saucers, and they both hoped that she would one day think all this was a dream and live a normal life. In the Doctor's TARDIS, they called the Atraxi to pick up their prisoner, which they did oh-so-conspicuously, in their legitimate flying saucer. 'I bet that's not going to be in any papers,' Rose thought to herself. After double and triple-checking the entire house to make sure everything alien was taken care of, the Doctor thought it time to bid farewell, and, quite honestly, wanted some alone time with his impossible companion, so dashed back into his TARDIS. Rose remained outside with Amelia, and actually walked back inside with her, going so far as to tuck her back into bed. She told her a story featuring the stars and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, then went back to her own TARDIS, where she would materialize inside the Doctor's.

So, as quickly as they had appeared, the two time-traveling aliens, last of their kind, saved the universe with only a 7-year-old girl as an audience, a girl who would create story after story, fantasy after fantasy about one day traveling with the two impossible people she met one night. The people she dreamed about and took her to see the stars. Her Raggedy Doctor and his Rose.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry this chap is so short, but it's the last one! Enjoy! Read, review, if you will. You are most welcome here.**

 **Disclaimer: I own but one character in this story, little Johnny Tyler. The rest is BBC's. Drat.**

 **Chapter VIII**

Rose darted inside her TARDIS and was about to begin the sequence that would materialize her into the Doctor's TARDIS, when the phone on her console started ringing. Eyebrow raised, she picked up the phone and answered,

"Hello?"

The voice of her favorite Time Lord sounded over the phone, "Yes, hello? It's me, Rose. It's the Doctor. You know, tall, slender, incredible fashion sense, extremely clever,"

Rose rolled her eyes exasperatedly, hoping he could detect her annoyance. "Doctor, I know it's you. Is there a particular reason you called? I was just about to come to you, if you had any patience at all,"

"No need," he replied, "I've locked onto your TARDIS and embedded her coding into my TARDIS. You are already here, sitting quite beautifully in my console room,"

Rose could detect the pride washing over him through his voice. Cockily, she responded, "Oh, you embedded her coding, did you? And just how did you manage to extract it? I may be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that no one other than a TARDIS' pilot has any access at all to her coding matrix, and that's only if the two are extremely close telepathically. There is no 'extracting' the intricate base line numerals of a Type-40 TARDIS, unless, of course, the designated pilot already translated the code into your console. Am I right, Doctor?"

Silence answered her for 15.34 seconds, a new record for the Doctor, Rose suspected. Just when Rose thought he had hung up, his voice, a bit huskier than usual replied, "You know, I'm finding that I don't mind being corrected when it's you that's doing the correcting. I enjoy it, actually. I'm also finding that I miss seeing your lovely face. Care to join me in here?"

Rose debated whether to entertain him or not, as she was enjoying their playful banter, but everything they needed to discuss came bleeding through her happy demeanor. She might have gotten him caught up on everything relating to her new status as Time Lady earlier, but that was just scratching the surface. She had questions that needed to be answered, too.

She chewed on her bottom lip for 2 seconds, then slowly hung up the phone. She grasped the edge of her TARDIS' console and hung her head, taking a couple of deep breaths. Her body didn't benefit at all from the motion, but Rose needed something familiar to calm her. No matter how much she had found closure with the Doctor for everything he did, there was a stubborn part of her that didn't trust him, didn't know where she stood with him. Because despite the seemingly countless "good" reasons he had for his actions, he still abandoned her on that beach without looking back. She made do with the life she had, but what if she hadn't? What if something went horribly wrong? She would have had no way of contacting him and he would never had known of her fate.

Sure, the human version of him had all his memories, but when their lives split, their choices defined who they were, individually. Despite every argument her late husband put up for the fact that they were the same man, they weren't, not anymore. Especially now that he'd regenerated. She had no clue how he would act with her, and if he was interested in anything romantic. She decided that all of that could wait, though. Now, she just needed to become mates with the Doctor again. With a laugh, she thought to herself, 'I'm definitely overthinking all of this. I've barely spoken to him at all since I've arrived, no need to jump to conclusions,' And, she suspected, if she didn't leave now, the Doctor would bust in and drag her out, something she was surprised he hadn't done already. She felt her TARDIS' amusement at that thought, and Rose responded by giving her rotor a pat.

"Thanks for everything, girl," she whispered to her ship, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. And that has nothing to do with space-and-time travel."

Rose discovered that she had spoken, or rather, thought, too soon, as at that moment, the Doctor was tired of waiting and knocked on the doors of her TARDIS.

"Rose? Did you get lost in there? That was a joke, I'd never accuse you of getting lost in your own TARDIS," he stuttered through the doors. Rose shook her head and smiled at her adorable Time Lord. Sending one final "thank you" to her ship, she strode over to where her next adventure was waiting.

Rose opened the door to find an anxious-looking Doctor wringing his hands on the other side. She rested her hip against the door frame and crossed her arms in front of her chest, a casual position even though their situation was less than casual. She gave him a small grin to put him more at ease, and he returned it.

"We need to talk," Rose heard herself say. She hid her surprise from the Doctor at the blunt words, and kept going, "I'm sure you have a million questions for me, and I have some as well… how about I make us a cuppa?" It was then that Rose actually looked at the console room and realized that everything was…different. Larger, more spacious, bright and shiny. 'So, this is the new new _new_ Doctor,' Rose thought with a smirk. She stumbled out of her TARDIS and heard the door shut with a _click_ behind her, the Doctor still maintaining a safe distance from her.

"Yes," she heard his voice say from behind her, "It should be down that corridor, second right, third left, first door on your right. But if you ask nicely, I'm sure the Old Girl will move the galley here. She's always been rather fond of you," he finished.

Rose looked up at the now massive Time Rotor and said, "You love me, don't you, girl? I brought your daughter home, how about that? Do I earn a short trip to your galley?" She asked the ship with a beaming smile on her face, completely oblivious to the Doctor's presence. He noticed.

"Well, if you girls are done, I'll meet you in the newly refurbished library. Should be where the old library was… wait, no, I moved it out of the swimming pool, but you weren't there for that… Just, you know how to find me," he finished lamely, waving his hand at the console as if that held all the information Rose needed. After a moment, he turned on his heel and walked briskly in the other direction, hands behind his back. Rose was amused, but also related to his behavior. She felt the same way, and this new Doctor had a hard time of concealing his emotions. There were things that needed to be worked out between them, and if Rose wanted answers any time soon, she'd better start on that tea.

With a wink aimed towards the TARDIS, Rose made her way to the galley, which was indeed moved closer for her convenience, and busied herself with the familiar motions of tea-brewing. She couldn't remember the last time she had made a pot of tea in his TARDIS, and she teared up at the fact that she was back- she was home.

* * *

With two mugs of tea in hand, Rose strode off to find the library, telepathically asking the TARDIS to help her find it. She obliged, much to Rose's gratitude. Before she was ready, she was standing directly outside the library, bracing herself for the impending conversation. She counted to 50,000, which took her 3.7 seconds, then pushed her way through the door.

When she walked in, Rose spotted the Doctor reclining in a large, padded chair, some book in his hands. When he heard her, he shut the book abruptly with a _thud_ and set it aside. Rose smiled at him and gave him his steaming mug, then sat on the sofa across from him. She wasn't too far away from him, if they both stuck out their feet, they would touch, but she wasn't so close that the conversation would become more personal than professional. Right now, she didn't need her emotions clouding her judgement, and who knows when she'd get another chance to talk to him without them running for their lives?

Taking a sip from her mug, she looked at the Doctor to find him trying not to stare at her, but waiting for her to make the first move. 'Wouldn't've expected that with his last body,' Rose mused to herself. His last personality was more than comfortable to be the only voice in the room, and Rose was pleasantly surprised at this change. She took his social cue and spoke up,

"So… how long's it been for you? You know, since Bad Wolf Bay part two," she asked.

The Doctor scratched his chin then answered, "about three years. What about you?"

Rose chuckled, "It's been a bit longer for me. I stopped counting after fifty," she responded, gaging his reaction.

His eyes almost popped out of its sockets. "Fifty?! But you look twenty-five, at most! That means you started changing…"

"Three years after you left me, in my timeline, yes," Rose finished for him, "My aging probably started slowing down before then, though. I would guess, immediately after the Gamestation. It wasn't until I had that horrible headache in Torchwood that the signs became noticeable." She took a break to let the Doctor take all this information in. His gaze had shifted from her eyes to his lap as she was speaking, and Rose could practically hear the gears in his mind turning.

"Fifty years… Pete and Jackie…" he looked up to see Rose shaking her head in negative. He gritted his teeth and continued, "My clone…?" She shook her head again.

"He died 14 years after you left us. Not too bad, but eventually his human body couldn't compensate for the Time Lord inside. He lost himself," she forced out the words that were still too painful, still raw. She cleared her throat before the Doctor could say anything and continued, "It's okay, though. I got to live a fantastic life with him, just like you wanted. And before you ask, no, we didn't have kids. We weren't compatible,"

The Doctor nodded his head in understanding. He mimicked her by clearing his throat before he asked, "And Tony? Your little brother?"

She smiled at his memory and replied, "He took over Torchwood after Pete passed. Also became his heir to Vitex. I didn't need the extra publicity, with me not aging and all. Mum also got pregnant and gave birth to another boy, Jonathan Michael Tyler. After Mickey," she muttered with a soft smile on her face.

The Doctor didn't ask anything after that, so Rose asked something before she lost her nerve. "Doctor… why did you leave me?" The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but Rose cut him off before he could, "Trust me, the other you ran laps trying to defend you, and I eventually believed him. But I need to hear it from you, Doctor. _You_ were the one who left, who turned your back without saying goodbye… I guess what I'm trying to ask is… do you not want me anymore?" she finished, eyes downcast.

The Doctor was dumbfounded, hurt, and ashamed to silence. Is this what she thought? He thought he did the right thing then, but almost immediately after he left her, a piece of himself died. She was the light, and without it, the darkness was free to take over. And he let it. But she was Rose Tyler, of course she would make her way back to him, yet again. And now he could truly share his forever with her, not just vice versa. That information alone sent a giddiness through him and he had to fight off a giggle. Now, though, he needed to tell her the truth so they could start their new life together.

He leaned over and grasped both hands in his larger ones, and noticed that they were the same temperature as his- another reminder that he was truly not alone anymore. He met her eyes before he began, then spoke, "Rose Tyler, please understand that what I did that horrible day killed me. I put up a very convincing mask, even tried to convince myself that that was for the best. It wasn't the best for me, though. After I left you, it was like… nothing could hold back the dark parts of me anymore. I didn't have your hand to hold, and all I could fathom was the loneliness. But the fact that you lived a good life in the other universe, the fact that you were _happy_ , makes it all worth it. Every bit of it. And there is something I'm not afraid to say anymore. I love you, and I've loved you for longer than I know. You mean everything to me, Rose Tyler. Please stay with me," he said the last line with a kiss to the back of Rose's hand, still gazing into her tear-stricken eyes.

Rose was making a mess of her face and she knew it. She didn't make a move to dry her tears, though, as what she had to say was far too important to wait, "Doctor, I love you so much," she said and choked on the last word, causing her to cover her mouth with her hand and let out a short laugh at her emotions. She shook her head to clear it and continued, stronger this time, "And I've loved you ever since the Slitheen in Downing Street. Maybe even longer. As long as I get my forever with you, I'll be satisfied," she finished with a beaming smile.

The Doctor's eyes opened wide and he couldn't stop himself from closing the distance between them and grazed his lips against hers. It was a gentle kiss, just lips touching, barely moving, then Rose changed the angle and pressed her lips firmer to his. The Doctor took this as a very good sign and proceeded to cup the back of her head with his hand and felt Rose's small hand gripping his tweed jacket. She then opened her mouth to his, and the Doctor let out a growl that he didn't know he possessed. Steadily losing coherent thought, he nipped her bottom lip, and felt movement in his lower regions when she let out a low moan of her own. His other arm whipped around like lightening and pulled her flush against him by her waist. The kiss was becoming a bit more than heated, and with the last remaining brain cell still functioning, the Doctor tore his lips away from hers, a feat that became infinitely more difficult when Rose's mouth instinctually followed his retreating one. He reverently brushed her hair, now brown, but still just as beautiful, out of her face and watched as she regained control of herself, lifting half-hooded eyes to meet his.

"I've carried this around with me for a while now, as a reminder," he said, reaching into his jacket pocket. When he pulled out a small, velvet box, Rose's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "A reminder of you, of the pure part of humanity. It caused me pain to look at it or brush my hand against it, but it kept me from losing myself completely. I need you, Rose, more than I'd like to admit, and I need you forever. This is a human tradition, and neither of us are human anymore, but I assume this is still more, ah, more meaningful to you than a-a traditional Gallifreyan proposal," he stuttered out, getting down to one knee. Rose was pretty sure that at least one of her hearts stopped beating early on in his speech and could only stare wide-eyed at his lowered stance.

Swallowing heavily and trying not to shake, the Doctor opened the box, revealing a small, ornate diamond surrounded by two smaller diamonds crested on a thin, silver band resting on the cloth. It was simple, it was elegant, and it was Rose Tyler. It almost perfectly matched her other engagement ring, but not quite, as her other one had gold tendrils weaved around the center diamond. Rose took all this in in 0.9 seconds, then snapped her attention to the man presenting the jewels to her. "Rose Marion Tyler, would you please bestow upon me the utmost honor of becoming my wife? Forever, until death do us part," he added at the end, managing to not stutter the whole way through.

Rose didn't respond immediately, which worried the Doctor slightly, but he waited patiently as she tried to find her voice. The offer was, in fact, a complete surprise to Rose and she truly did need to think about it. She didn't really know this Doctor at all, and she was still getting over his habit of dropping her off on parallel universes and never coming back. The new Doctor, though, was a far cry from her first Doctor, the one she fell in love with. The gruff, sarcastic Doctor that drew her in and kissed her. The one she died for and the one who died for her. And then there was his regeneration, the pretty boy. He was charming, handsome, and everything she wanted while still being the Doctor. They shared goofy grins, and their hands never tore apart (except for that one time with Madame de Pompous, but Rose all but discarded that memory from her mind). He was the one she married, but also the one who left her behind. Now there was a new man, all energy and flare, sending off an aura that was addicting, but also hiding darkness deep within his soul.

She thought about all these factors and more, asking herself if she could really marry him, and the answer was blaringly obvious. Of course, she could! She already promised him forever, how many times, now? Marriage was just a symbol of that promise. In the end, the Doctor was the same man, and he needed her just as much as she needed him. He needed a constant in his life, not just temporary relationships. She knew how those took a toll on somebody. So, kneeling down to his level and meeting his worried eyes, she answered,

"Yes, Doctor. Yes. Yes. Yes,"

Soon, the Doctor ran out of places on Rose's face to place sweet, loving kisses, so they just held each other in that library until they fell asleep. Neither knew their future and neither dared to look, but a hope that was brand new to both of them filled their souls and brought them back to life. They travelled together, spreading a message of peace, not warfare, throughout the universe, and even met some travelers along their way. Though neither of them would ever admit it, a resounding song echoed in their wake. The song of hope. The song of everyone living. The song of a new tomorrow. The song of the Doctor and Rose Tyler, Defenders of the universe.

The End

 **A/N: ...Or is it? As you can see, I haven't marked this story as "complete" yet, so, yes, I am doing an epilogue. I'm also thinking about posting some scenes from Rose's and her Doctor's life in Pete's World, so let me know if that interests you! I want to give anyone who reviewed, PM'd me about this story, or overall supported me a ginormous THANK YOU! Look for more stuff from me, as I'm not done with this story just yet. ;) And as the British say, cheers!**


	10. Epilogue

**A/N: As promised, the epilogue! I'm posting it early because I love you guys and because I'll have no time once school starts. I hope you appreciate the fact that I wrote the epilogue AND the last chapter while on vacation. You're welcome.**

 **Disclaimer: ...do you get the point yet?**

 **Epilogue**

"Rose, did you take my sonic screwdriver?" the Doctor asked, frantically patting his pockets.

Rose sighed, "I told you already, Doctor. I have my own. Why would I need yours?"

"Because mine is cooler," the Doctor responded, giving Rose a confused look.

"Doctor," Rose rolled her eyes, "If we don't leave now we will be late. Just admit it, you've lost it,"

"What makes you say that? I'm as sane as I've ever been," he countered, looking under the TARDIS console for his beloved instrument.

"That's reassuring," Rose muttered under her breath, "Can't we do this later? It's not often I get dressed up for an adventure, and I want to make the most of it,"

The Doctor heaved a heavy sigh and looked at Rose with his puppy-dog eyes that he knew she could never refuse. Groaning, she plopped her bag on the ground and started scanning the console room. Not seeing it anywhere, she went to the next-likely place it would be, their bedroom. She walked in the spacious room and took in the pile of books, papers, odd gadgets, and random fruit spread across his desk. She gingerly lifted a paper and spotted the lost sonic with a grin. Without further ado, she strode back into the console room, sonic in hand.

"Great, now we can leave," she announced, shoving the screwdriver in her husband's hand. His eyebrows went straight to his hairline and he asked in a high-pitched voice,

"Wh-where did you find it?!"

Shaking her head, Rose just marched to the TARDIS doors and said over her shoulder, "Just remember this occasion when I, in your words, 'take way too long getting ready'." She then gave him a wink and threw open the doors, letting in a bright, warm light.

Squinting with the onslaught of sunlight, Rose raised a hand to her brow, in an effort to block some of the impeding rays. She could make out a silhouette in the distance, one that was getting steadily closer. She sensed the Doctor walking up behind her as the figure came closer. She could tell the unknown person was humanoid, probably female, but couldn't make out her face. She felt the Doctor stiffen beside her and confused, she looked up to see his eyes as wide as dinner plates, staring at the approaching woman. Rose braced herself for the likely danger that she and her husband were about to get into, but before she could react, two resounding words echoed in their ears, and would, unknown to Rose, change their lives forever.

"Hello, Sweetie,"

 **To Be Continued**


End file.
